Eli and Elizaveta
by Cherryappleblossom9201
Summary: Unwilling to go through with a marriage to a man she doesn't love, nobility-bred Elizaveta Hedervary cuts her hair and disguises herself as Eli, an ordinary commoner boy. Things should be so much simpler now, but they're not. First there's idiot Gilbert who's becoming increasingly harder to keep her secret from(she's beginning to wonder if she wants to.) and then war coming! PruHun
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**Aaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrgg ggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh! This is what we call the result of a plot bunny. I'll be updating about once a week, same as my fanfiction HetaliaxCaptain America crossover.

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**Elizaveta's POV**

For the first time in forever, I would finally have a choice. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Dainty, slender, large green eyes, and a long wavy brown hair with a flower pin adorning it. I gritted my teeth in anger at the tight, pale-peach colored dress I was wearing. Father had picked it for me and I could barely breathe. Father. I loathe to call him that. He wasn't a father to me at all. My face was still red and bruised from where his fist had met me when I argued with him.

I had argued about my betrothal. Betrothal to a stuck-up, conceited, self-absorbed snob. _Roderich Edelstein_. He didn't look past his music book for so much as a few moments and whenever he did, his eyes were like glass. The kind of glass that was too foggy to look past anything but his own selfish needs. I could tell all that much from the _one_ time I had met him. You may think I'm exaggerating, but if there was one useful thing Father had taught me it was how to keep silent and observe a person, learning who they are without giving away what _I _was thinking. In a world of men, my Father had always told me, a girl must be silent and obedient. He had lectured that again to me after his blow fell me to the floor, stressing the assets of the Edelstein family, and the pureness of their noble blood.

I hated being a noble. Especially a noble _girl_. Or should I say doll? That's exactly how a woman is supposed to be in the country of Siensia's nobility. All of sixteen, if I was a peasant boy I could make it in the world, but not as a woman. But now, I would have a choice in a major aspect of my life. Maybe a noble girl was supposed to be a silent and obedient, but a commoner _boy_ wasn't.

First, I shed the dress, instead opting for the pair of servants trousers and simple blue tunic Bella had brought me. But before I wore that tunic, I slipped on a series of bandages stolen from the guard's medicinal cabinet. I tightened them around myself as hard as any corset. I pulled on the boy's clothes, and examined myself in the mirror once more. I was still a bit on the skinny slender side, but the bandages hid my femininity quite well. My eyes watered at the thought of Bella. A servant girl she was, and my only true friend. Regarded as dirt by any nobles who cast her a sideways glance. She knew of my plan, but I knew I could trust her to never tell.

No one would find out about her being involved in my plan, we hadn't breathed a word of it to anyone besides us, and only in hushed whispers as we passed one another in the courtyards. Besides, she had her older brother Lars to protect her. As stoic as he was, a model soldier, he did have a good heart deep down, and wouldn't allow anything to harm the only family he had left-his sister and his younger brother who was apprenticing at the forgery of the General Ivan. I wiped my tears quickly. If I was to be a boy, I couldn't very well cry, could I?

Next, my eyes fell to my hair. I sighed, and removed the flower pin from my hair. Before, I had always worn this same clip as my mother had. She had died when I was young, but I remember Mother had been beautiful, and wore this clip, a wedding present from her own mother, everyday. After she had died, I still wore the pin in the shape of a stained glass-lily since as a remembrance of her. Father always told me to "get rid of that tacky piece of garbage" but I wore it also as a rebellion.

I had always kept my hair long, and I hated to cut it, but I knew a simple vanity like this wouldn't help me. I retrieved my pair of nail scissors from boudoir's drawers and slowly snipped my tresses away. When my hair was cut to the point I could pass for a man, I reached for a blue silk ribbon, but remembered that commoners don't wear silk, and instead tied my hair back with some twine.

The person in the mirror was a stranger, and I shifted my body language and toughened my expression to look more manly. He had longish brown hair, tied back with the old twine, leather boots over his khaki loose trousers, a light blue tunic, and his expression was defiant and angry. Just like the real me. But at the same time, I knew this wasn't entirely me. _You're not Elizaveta, who are you?_ I asked him. _I'm Eli._ he seemed to respond with his eyes. Eli...the name meant 'ascend' which was fitting, since being him meant ascending from this prison. Lastly, I strapped a silver broadsword to my side. Stolen from Father's own private armory, heehee.

I stole out of my grand quarters, clutching my sack of meager belongings, careful to stay in the shadows and avoid the wary gazes of the mansion's guards. I couldn't let them see me, or all of this would be for naught. I slipped into the stables, reviewing the nightly patrol of the guard I had memorized for this day, intent on finding my horse, Faith. I saddled my gentle palomino, using a saddle so old my family's crest had faded away so it wouldn't identify me if I was stopped for questioning.

Then quietly, my heart pounding, I led her towards the gates of the mansion. When memorizing the patrol, I had also been fortunate enough to learn that on the fourth night of patrol, one of the guards was forgetful, so tonight on his patrol the gates wouldn't be locked. I reached forward to pull the large iron gates open. But they didn't.

My heart crawled into my throat! This couldn't be! This couldn't be! I could already hear the approaching footsteps from behind, although still far away. An idea flashed to me, foolish but it was all I have. I retrieved my mother's hair pin from my pocket and began struggling to pick the lock. Several minutes passed. _You romantic idiot! You honestly thought you could get away!? No! I can't be caught! I can't marry him! _Just as I was beginning to despair I heard a _click-!_ The lock, opened, and I praised God that I had decided to bring my mother's hairpin along after all! I quietly led Faith out of the gates, hiding behind the stone walls just to hear the soldiers pass. If I had been any slower-!

For a few long moments I continued on foot, guiding my horse. But then I mounted her. "Hiya!" I exclaimed, cracking the reigns and she took off galloping. The wind whistled through my now short hair, and I laughed aloud. What a glorious feeling! I was free! We rode off, late into the night.

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**A/N:** How was it? Don't forget to review! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Elizaveta's POV**

Three weeks later...

After I had made my escape I had come to the city of Denier, a silver-mining city that was fairly wealthy, it was far enough from the nobilities' homes that the soldiers of my family hadn't found me yet. Besides, even though the labor was hard, working in the mines had given me a pretty decent living so far. However, I knew this was only a temporary position, and as soon as I had saved enough money I would be leaving this city very soon.

I loved the nightlife of the busy marketplaces of Denier, never having seen nightlife back when I was being tutored on how to use your pinky finger to cushion the sound of a teacup so it's quiet when you set it down(**1)**(what a _stupid_ thing I had to learn...). The people were bustling, yelling out prices to each other, and lanterns strung up above us lit the sky. Catching sight of a bar, I decided to enjoy a drink after my shift.

As Elizaveta, wandering into a bar alone at night would be frowned upon. But as Eli, who cared? I loved the freedom of pretending to be a man. There were several men laughing loudly at the bar, one especially loudly and obnoxiously. I fought the urge to sigh, he was an arrogant one, this one. He was handsome, but that was ruined by the fact he obviously knew it. His hair was silvery, and his eyes were an intense red, meanwhile he was tall and broad-shouldered. I took a stool next to him and laid a coin down in front of the bartender. "Ale, please." I told him, careful to deepen my voice.

The arrogant albino sitting next to me snorted. "_Please._ What a little princess, minding her manners." he said to one of his buddies.

For an instant I froze, wondering if he somehow _knew_. But then that frozen moment passed and mentally I berated myself. He couldn't know I was a girl! He was just trying to be a jerk. Trying and succeeding apparently. The next guy he was laughing at, a guy with orange hair-sticking up and blue eyes, was apparently insulted by the albino's latest cutting remark. His face reddened, and he leaned forward. "What was that you jerk?" he snarled.

"Aw, come on Matthias, you know I was just joking!" the arrogant guy laughed. Apparently, he didn't. In response Matthias backhanded the arrogant guy, which then caused him to crash into a table, knocking into the guy sitting there and his drink. The two guys crashed to the floor.

The silver-haired fellow looked shocked. And just as he was beginning to get up, I saw Matthias draw a knife. "You think you can pick on a Nord!?" he demanded. In an instant I had my own sword out and I had twisted the knife from his hand with my blade. The albino didn't deserve to be gutted, even if he was an idiot. Besides, if this guy really was a Nord, then I couldn't let him do as he pleased.

You see, the Wang Empire is a dangerous empire from a neighboring country, recently it had been invading many countries, which basically scared the crap out of all the other countries because the Wang Empire was merciless, and powerful. The Nordics were an international crime organization that supported the Wang Empire in exchange for protection. They robbed people, extorted from others, and gave information from their espionage for the Wang. In other words, they're scum, even if their master empire hadn't affected me, I despised them.

"What's the big idea!?" Matthias swung for me, but I caught him, locking his arm and twisting it up painfully. He had been drinking, and was therefore sloppy, but that didn't stop him from having his six goons stand up to help their ringleader. The albino was quickly in the face of two of the goons, slamming them to the floor as they came up at me. But before we could react further, I heard the cocking of many guns, including one that was pointed directly at the head of Matthias in my grip. I gasped.

All around us, men had their rifles at the ready, and the one pointing his pistol at Matthias was obviously in charge. He was wet from the alcohol, but he was a little older than me and the albino, maybe 19? His hair was dirty-blonde with one odd cowlick, and his eyes were bright blue behind his spectacles. Shoulder pads and knee pads were the only armor he wore, over blue slacks, and lighter colored blue shirt, along with high-quality tan combat boots. Over all of this, the young man wore a long red cloak.

"A Nord, huh? Pretty stupid of you to start trouble in front of _me_." He looked as though he was the type who usually smiled a lot, but right now his tone was all business.

"And just who the _#$^ _are you supposed to be!?" Matthias now seemed quite belligerent, since he was cornered.

Now the young man grinned. "Alfred F. Jones. The HERO! Head Knight in service to his Majesty King Arthur Kirkland of Regnoc." The Nord's jaw dropped. As did mine. As did the albino's, who was currently still keeping the men pinned to the floor. So all these men with rifles were knights. Knights under _his_ command.

King _Arthur_ of _Regnoc_!? Holy _shit! _Regnoc was currently the only rivaling opponent to the Empire of Wang. They were incredibly power and had several allies. And on top of all that King Arthur Kirkland was an extremely powerful warlock. This was his Head Knight!? Guys like this just _loved_ to take Nordics down! _But just what is he doing here in Siensia?_ I wondered to myself.

"You two." Jones gaze turned to me and the albino, we both stiffened. "Considering you two have wrecked this nice man's table," He jerked his head, indicating the barkeep who was cowering behind the bar." and my slacks, you'll be paying a pretty nice fine." "

What!?" The albino cried.

"But, since you helped me apprehend these Nords, I'll foot the bill, but you have to shine all our armor tonight." The knight winked cheekily at me.

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"Argh! I can't believe that stupid knight had the nerve to make the Awesome Me do something like this!" Both I and the Albino were currently scrubbing away at nonexistent rust on steel breastplates, carrying the insignia of the Regnoc royal family. And naturally, that stupid arrogant fool was whining. _He_ was whining when he was the one to go and buddy up to a Nord without even knowing who he was, and then get the guy angry. It was his own damn fault we were stuck doing this! I hadn't done a thing, and I still had to clean up after something I had nothing to do with!

Finally I couldn't take it. "Would you _shut up_?" I demanded. He looked at me wide-eyed, seemingly shell-shocked at what I had said.

"_Was_? he asked, slipping into his own language. I recognized it as the language of Reenson, the country to the south-west of Siensia. _So that's where he's from. _

"You heard me! It's your fault we have to spend the night shining armor! You ticked off the stupid Nord! He would've sliced you to ribbons if it wasn't for me!" He looked angry for a minute, before slackening, realizing that I did have a point.

"_Danke_." he murmured quietly. What? He was thanking me? He

looked... a little embarrassed now that he wasn't looking me in the eye. Maybe I should cut him some slack...

"Say, what's your name? You're from Reenson, right?" I asked. "I am the totally awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt! And yes I am!" Gilbert proudly proclaimed. An amused smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, maybe he wasn't just overly proud of himself, but also of his country. If that was the case, maybe he wasn't so bad...

"Hey, you know you're not too bad with that sword, right? Almost as awesome as me!"

"Um...I'll take that as a compliment."

"Hey, who are you anyway?" I frowned. Why was I hesitating? I almost felt like telling him the truth, he seemed so straightforward in his vain way that I didn't really feel like telling him a lie, but it was crazy not to, right?

"I'm Eli." I told him.

"Well, Eli, you're not so bad really."

"Uh, I guess you're not either Gilbert." We spent the rest of that irritating night rubbing helmets until our arms were sore, and him filling me in on how he came to Siensia because he was a rare weapons collector hoping to hit in big by finding a jackpot of valuable weapons caches deep in Siensia's forests. Gilbert also told me all about his younger brother Ludwig who was a knight himself, still living in Reenson as a member of their monarchy's army. From the sound of the guy, he sounded so serious and straight-laced it was hard to picture them as brothers. But oddly enough, now that he wasn't being so full of himself I didn't actually mind his company.

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At dawn I awoke, fast asleep on the stable's hay, next to Denier's barracks where Jones and his soldiers were staying for the time being. It was at that second that I realized Gilbert's face was inches from mine. I gasped quietly. He was still sleeping peacefully, and suddenly my face felt very warm. I'd...never been this close to a man before. He...looked so peaceful like this, different from the loud man in the bar. He must've rolled closer to me in his sleep. Carefully, so as not to wake him, I pulled back. A good thing too, because as soon as I was a ways away, Gilbert opened his eyes and yawned deeply. "Oh..._Guten Morneg_, Eli." he mumbled, rubbing his eye with a balled fist.

I stood up stretching, trying to forget how close he'd been, without answering him back. "Haha! Looks like you guys did a pretty decent job!" I groaned. Jones. The Head Knight had a cocky smile on again today, as he inspected the armor. "All right, you dudes are free to go. Thanks a lot!"

"For your armor?" I asked grouchily.

"Yeah, well that and helping us get those Nords. Those guys belong in jail, lousy asses." The boyish look of his face was odd with a serious expression.

"So, Gilbert, you want to get some breakfast? I've been in Denier awhile, so I know my way to the best restaurants. You should always eat close to the politics buildings, the best food is always there." Why was I asking him to tag along? He was annoying enough without an invitation!

"_Ja, _sounds great!" And that's how I ended up paying for triple the bill I normally would (Gilbert helped himself to seconds) at my favorite Denier cafe, and stuttering for an answer to the question

"So, Eli, why are you here?" I wandered what I should tell, him it's not as though I could tell him the truth.

Struggling for an answer I looked out the window where I saw a young man walking up the street. He had a meek, but sweet face, with longish brown hair and crystal blue eyes. He wore a fancy crest I didn't recognize, but I guessed from the armed escort around him, and the fact they were heading in the direction of the Ambassadors Bureau, that he was some kind of politician. Ordinarily I wouldn't pay him any attention, but then most politicians weren't being followed by a trained snipers eyes. I saw him on the roof, cloaked in dark garb covering his face, his arrow knocked and ready.

"Oh my gosh!" I rushed to my feet, flying for the door.

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_Meanwhile in Reenson..._

_Then battle wasn't going well, but the young soldier wasn't expecting this...his helmet was gone, as was his sword, and ashes made it hard to breathe, the city was so engulfed in flames. A deep wound ran in his side, and he felt dizzy from blood loss. But more dizzying was the cruel smile on the intruder's face. "Ni Hao~" were the last words he heard as he passed out._

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**A/N:**(1) Anybody get the reference? :D The world map goes like this so far: Siensia is a large northern country, with the Wang Empire being just south-east of it, taking up a huge amount of land mass and a series of island nations that have been invaded and taken over by Wang Empire, the countries referred to in the story. Reenson is just south-west of Siensia, smaller than Wang, but very wealthy and reasonably powerful, it has just been invaded by Wang. To the east of Siensia is Regnoc, and it series of allies are to the east of Regnoc. Siensia is currently neutral in the conflicts, but leans towards supporting Regnoc. Reenson is in some real trouble, huh?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**Yee! Thank you andrea-marisol-5201 for getting my reference! I love Ouran High School Host Club! Almost as much as Hetalia! And thank you all of you for your wonderful reviews! Also note that I will be adding PruHun later in the story, but it won't be for awhile. They're one of my favorite pairings. Back to Eli's story...

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**Elizaveta's POV**

"NO!" I cried, my blade swinging up to intercept the arrow. I stopped it just in time from reaching the politician's back. But then, his guards believed that_ I_ was an assassin. One minute, standing triumphant having saved an important man's life, the next, dogpiled by overzealous knights and made to eat dirt.

"Like, just what do you think you were going to do to Master Laurinaitis!?" an angry young girl's voice demanded. _What __**I **__was going to do!?_ I bit back the ugly string of curses itching to fly from my lips.

"No, stop! He saved me!" Laurinaitis quickly pulled his guards off me, showing them the arrow. The guards had encircled him, keeping him protected from all angles in case of any more attacks. I stood painfully, rubbing my kidney where it had been introduced to a boot.

"Where could that jerk be!?" The girl demanded angrily, her hands on her hips, obviously unconcerned for her own safety. She surveyed the area, searching for the assassin. Pfft, like he would just pop out for all to see!

Laurinaitis' only female companion, she was sort of pretty. She had short-cut blonde hair that stopped at her chin, and bright green eyes. Her dress was ridiculously frilly, bright pink, bows, and so much lace! She also wore a hair bow in her hair. Before I had run away I hadn't minded dressing that girly, but _this_! _This_ was way too much!

"I got him!" My eyebrows flew to my hairline. Gilbert stood there, holding the dark-cloaked man tightly in an arm-lock. _How had he gotten him down from the roof?_ The nasty bruises on Gilbert's elbows suggested a tackle-and-roll tactic. He grinned at me, his red eyes flashing. "Man, Eli that was totally awesome! You saved that guy's life!" The albino handed the dark-cloaked man to the knights.

"Toris, you okay!?" Apparently, word spread fast around here.

There was Jones again, this time his cloak fastened with the Regnoc Kingdom and Kirkland Family crest intertwined on the fastener brooch. That meant he was on official business. He looked worried for Laurinaitis, rushing over and grabbing his shoulders. "I checked this meeting place over personally! How could an assassin have gotten in!?" The knight's eyes flew to the assassin, his eyes darkening. "Let's see just who's behind the mask!" His strong hand ripped the dark scarf from the man's face. Except...except...he had no face.

The moment Jones ripped the cloth away, the man seemed to dissolve, his clothes going limp, clutching nothing but empty air. We gasped. Alfred stared in disbelief for a moment before cursing under his breath. "No...that's _dark_ magic. No doubt that whoever did this didn't want to get their hands dirty themselves. But with just this we can't further investigate...I'll have Arthur examine the cloak to track who could've spelled it..." he murmured quietly to himself. It took me a moment to realize he was referring to the_ king_. _Sheesh. _I guess being Head Knight got him on a first-name basis with His Majesty.

And now Alfred seemed to notice us. "You two again!?"

"Uh...Yes?" I didn't feel like calling a guy barely older than me "sir". "First you guys help us in stopping that Nord, and now you save the life of the ambassador of Clorence!?" His voice was commanding and at this point I wasn't sure what to expect. So, Toris Laurinaitis was an ambassador of one of Regnoc's allies? Made sense. I guess that explained why the Head Knight was here. To escort him to Regnoc for an audience with the king.

"Kneel!" Alfred cried.

"_Was_?" Gilbert sputtered.

"I _said_, kneel!" he repeated. What, who did this guy think he was!? Why on Earth should we kneel to him? We both stayed standing. And then Alfred kicked our legs hard out from under us.

_"Oof!"_ the wind knocked out from under me and I pushed myself up on my knees. I felt an icy blade at my shoulder. My eyes widened.

"Dudes, for your noble service I grant you the status of soldier in Regnoc's Royal Army!" Jones tapped me with his blade. My jaw dropped. WWWHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTT!?

I must've been staring bug-eyed like a frog because Jones burst out laughing. His laughter filled the streets, but finally subsided, Alfred leaning over to wipe his eyes with one hand. He looked up and smiled brightly. "You two saved my friend's life, so the least I can do is repay you. If you don't want to be a soldier, you don't have to be. But I will pay you guys whatever salary you earn for however long you're soldiers. Ordinarily when a person signs up they have to work for 5 years no matter what. But for you, I'll make an exception." he continued chuckling. The wheels in my head began to turn.

Being a soldier wouldn't be that difficult, it was just as dangerous as being a wanderer with bandits and enchanted creatures running about. I knew how to handle myself in combat, so why shouldn't I? Besides, no one would look for a noble Siensian girl named Elizaveta in Regnoc's royal army. Slowly, I nodded my head in agreement. Gilbert looked at me reluctantly for a moment before sighing. "Fine...whatever, I'll stick around for a while longer, but then I've got better things to do." he grumbled quietly.

"Great, then your first order under my command is to help me escort Toris to Regnoc! Nords have been getting even thicker here in Siensia, not to mention that the Wang Empire's spies could easily be a thorn in our side." Alfred smiled, before turning and barking more orders at his knights to double-check the inn we were staying at that night.

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And naturally, the minute we newly inducted soldiers were at the inn, problems arose. "All right dudes! We've got a long journey ahead of us, so enjoy the baths while you can!" Alfred had burst into the room we soldiers were staying in scantily clad in a towel. I reddened. I really, _really_ hoped he had more clothes on than that... And then Gilbert burst in, clad in only a towel as well.

_Wow_, he had a fine chest...what the hell!? What was I thinking!? My embarrassment worsened when I realized they expected me to bathe with them. Besides being humiliating, my secret would be found out! Gilbert looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Eli, you alright? You're really red." He unceremoniously placed a hand on my head, checking for fever.

I gasped and smacked his hand away. "I-I! I'll join you later!" I stammered, making a beeline for the backdoor. Gilbert stood confused by the door.

"What a weird guy..." A bar of soap hit him in the back of the head.

"Gil! Dude, the water's gonna get cold! Hurry up!"

_Great...now I'll have to make up a decent excuse as to why I didn't bathe with them..._ I sighed weakly, and sat down on the bench with a thud. This was too much stress. "So...you are a girl?" I gasped. I leapt to my feet, hand on my sword's hilt. It was the girl from before, Toris' companion. She now wore a fluffy night dress, and fuzzy slippers. Her expression was one of curiosity, as well as scrutiny.

"W-what?" I stammered.

"Like, don't try to deny it! I can see it!" she cried looking as though I had confirmed her suspicion. I was going to tell her she was wrong, that she was mistaken, but from the look on her face there was no changing her mind.

"What gave me away?" I swallowed, hoping she wouldn't tell anyone.

"Puh-lease! I could tell from the fact you wouldn't bathe with them. Also, the way you walk is a little different, like a woman. And from how red your face got from naked men. Probably no one else would've noticed." She glanced sharply at me, as though considering something. "Besides, one cross-dresser ought to recognize another. Right?"

It took three seconds for that to sink in. "WHAT!?" I gaped at her-him. This pretty little thing that wore hair ribbons- a boy!?

"Shut up! Like, you want to give us both away!?" Her-his voice had gotten deeper, and he seemed at bit more relaxed now. He glared at me. "It seems my hunch was right. But, like, the only reason I told you about me was because we'll both need help guarding our secret for times like this! It's been _so_ hard convincing everyone I'm a girl."

"W-why are you pretending to be a girl?" I gasped. He put on a _very_ convincing act.

"Back in Clorence, I was framed for a crime I didn't do. But try telling that to the corrupt government back there. The judges were paid off to let me hang. Toris however, has been my friend since we were kids! He's one of the few politicians who isn't a scum bag. He wants to actually make a difference. So he smuggled me out of prison and disguised me as his personal assistant, and his sweetheart." At this, he made a face. "So, nobody would suspect. What about you?"

After I explained about my engagement he frowned at me. "All right then, so we'll need to protect each others' secrets. You sell me out for whatever reason, I sell you out. Agreed?"

"Yes."

He smiled at me, relief on his features. Then he full-blown grinned. But-"What should I call you? What's your name?" I asked.

"My real name is Feliks, but call me Felina when we're in front of other people." I nodded.

"My real name is...Elizaveta, but you know I'm called Eli now." So after that interesting fiasco we headed back to the inn, making up some story about me puking my guts out in the bushes out back.

* * *

I rolled over on my mat, trying to block out the sounds of the soldiers I was now comrades with. Alfred was in a drinking contest and was going to have a killer hangover in the morning. Idiot. Gilbert sat down beside me, holding a mug of beer.

"You feeling better? I thought you were sick. Why didn't you say anything? That's so unawesome." He drank from the mug, looking angry.

"Why is it such a big deal?" I snapped. I was so annoyed my heart was pounding just looking at him.

"Well, we're pals _ja_?" I stared at him in disbelief, but he seemed serious.

"Pals?" I asked carefully.

"Duh! You already saved my butt, and we stopped that assassin, and now we're apparently soldiers! Do you think we should still call each other _acquaintances_?"

For some reason his indignation made me smile. "Pals it is then."

"_Gut_." He sniffed his beer and looked at it disapprovingly.

What's the matter?" I asked.

"The beer in Reenson is so much better than this swill."

"Are you going back to Reenson? After we get Ambassador Toris to Regnoc, I mean."

"Yeah, after this is done and I get paid, I'll ditch this Jones guy and go find my brother Ludwig. It'll be great to see my _kleinnen bruder_." He swallowed some more alcohol.

"What about you?"

"Well, I didn't really have any plans, so for now I'll probably stick with the army."

"~Kesese! You really are a stick in the mud! You should come with me to Reenson. It'd be so much more awesome than marching around in stuffy armor. We can go weapons hunting. There's this cool cave full of all sorts of rare spears. Of course we have to get past the acid-spitting lizards and the 100-feet drop, but whatever, we can handle it!"

"Um, no thanks."

"_Aw_, why? Come on!"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Next chapter Guys! Only this one will have a little switcheroo, Gilbert's POV! I'm going to be writing down who's POV the story is being told from, from now on. How's that sound?

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**Gilbert's POV**

After that weird knight forced me and Eli (that's my cool new friend. He's almost as awesome as me! If that's possible.) into becoming soldiers, we got roped into taking some fancy-pants ambassador from Clorence to the meeting with King Arthur. That guy was such a coward! He was this little shrimp with brown hair, kind of long like a girl's, and a cloak pinned with the insignia of his kingdom. It seems like all the people who work in the service of their governments do that. But anyway, we'd been traveling for a few days, in a huge forest pass Denier, when I told this Toris guy what a wimp he was. And his girlfriend got all mad at me.

"Like, you know all about being a wimp don't you, you albino ninny!?"  
"Pissed you off, huh girl? Kesese! Looks like you actually have enough guts to speak up. Unlike your veak little boyfriend!"

"Weak! He's brave enough to go to foreign country to aid others, while you just skulk around in empty caves for worthless swords!" Her voice had gone all high-pitched and squeaky.

"Hey! There's no way I would spend any off my time looking for anything worthless!"

"Gilbert! Felina! Knock it off!" Eli bumped into me.

I jerked my head over at him "Vhy're you taking her side? Got the hots for her?" Eli flushed red. Ha! So I was right!

"No!" he cried.

"Kesese! So you do! _Wunderbar._" While I cracked up some more and Eli yelled at me, our company began to pick up speed. Me and Eli were on foot. Most of the other guys were on horseback, lucky jerks! And the ambassador and his girl were sitting in a horse drawn-coach. Asses.

"Hey! Jones! Vhy're you hurrying us?" Why did we need to rush? It wasn't as though anybody else was- Oh. Who were those guys? They trailed quietly after us.

"When I say 'now', break out your swords and run." Alfred said softly to us. We walked in silence like that for a few moments and then- "NOW!"

We broke into a sudden run, and I drew my Twin blades from the hiding places in my long boots. Deimos and Phobos they were called. They were wicked sharp and each as long as my arm. Badass. Eli had his sword out. Although we were hauling ass, the bandits behind us suddenly caught up to us, and the soldiers broke out fighting.

"Oh _Scheiße!"_ The bandits outnumbered us, and they were going for the stage coach!

"Not on the Hero's watch!" Alfred jumped up on the coach from his horse, and somehow Eli managed to get up through the back. The captain kicked the bandit who was trying to grab the reins of the horses right out of the coach.

"Agh!" Eli had his sword shoved from his grip by one of the bandits!

"ELI!" He was going to be run through by that bastard! Quicker than the eye, Eli drew something up from behind him in one of the coach's crates and brought it down on the criminal's head. What the hell-? He brained that guy with a(I did a double take) a frying pan-? Whatever, it was working well! Eli blackjacked anyone who tried to come close to the coach's back, keeping them a decent distance from the ambassador.

I sliced Phobos up the side of the bandit nearest to me as I fought to get closer to the coach. He yowled in pain and dropped to the ground. Then I brought my knee up into the other guy's kidney. I grinned each time I brought another bandit down. This was fun-!

Alfred had gotten back control of the coach when his smile of victory left his face."NO!" I yelled as a knife sprouted from his chest. He slumped over weakly in the coach's seat. No,no,no,no Alfred was a cool guy! He didn't deserve that! Was he dead? Who threw the knife!? All these thoughts scrambled through my head.

Suddenly, I saw who had. She appeared to materialize out of thin air, landing down hard on the stage coach with another man I didn't recognize. Both were scary as hell. The chick was pretty short, with a face that might actually be cute if it didn't have such a hard expression. Her hair was platinum-blonde with a purple hair bow, and she clutched several throwing knives in both hands. The man next to her was tall, with glasses, and blue eyes and short blonde hair. When he glared it was scary enough to scare everybody, except the Awesome Me of course.

The tall guy grabbed the reins and cracked them. The horses took a sudden sharp turn. I saw Toris, and Felina fall over, while Eli almost lost his footing. Looking enraged, Eli blocked the knives that the chick threw his way. But before he could react further the man appeared once more behind him. The tall guy had given the reins to one of the bandits. He punched Eli in the jaw, and my friend fell to the floor.

Suddenly I didn't know what was happening as a bandit came up behind me and nailed _me_ in the jaw. I stumbled, and sliced Deimos up at the guy, cutting his chest. I stabbed him a second time in the shoulder, but then he made his horse rear up, hooves smacking at me. I gasped and backed away. Then I realized who it was on the horse.

Clutching his bloodied shoulder but grinning was that son of a bitch Matthias. How had he escaped prison!? I growled, and he smirked in a way that made me want to throttle him. "Later loser!" he called. By now the bandits had dispersed, and the coach had vanished from sight. It had vanished into the trees.

I couldn't catch up to it, even after I shoved one of the Nords from the saddle of his horse, and rode it as fast as I could. I searched for a long time, up to the point it was getting dark. No-! The coach had been taken,along with Toris, Felina, and Alfred. My chest tightened. Along with Eli.

I tried to regroup back with the other soldiers but they had vanished too. All except for two. Apparently the others had broken into groups to search the woods. But my question was who roped these two wimps together. "I-I'm Raivis, sir. This is Eduard." The boy looked like he belonged in a bakery shop, not the army. He was small with purple eyes and messy brown hair. His friend, Eduard, was obviously one of those scholars with slicked back blonde hair and glasses and skinny build. Both shook, as though still terrified by the very thought of the Nords.

I facepalmed. At this rate, Eli and the others were doomed.

* * *

I hope I didn't make Prussia seem OOC, but don't worry I'll be writing more next chapter! Any guesses as to who the lead bandit Nords were? Review and let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Multi POV**

They were tied up laying face down on the stone-cold ground a decent distance away from the warmth of the fire, but not far enough to escape without being noticed. Elizaveta, Toris, and Feliks. The Nords were enjoying a fresh kill of venison roasted slowly over a fire. Elizaveta hadn't eaten since the small breakfast she'd had yesterday before they'd been kidnapped, and she was starving. Smelling the roast did not make her feel any better. Of course the girl who appeared to be in charge-Natalya -had ordered her men not to give them anything to eat. Bitch. She wasn't shy about threatening to kill the captives though. Elizaveta knew she wouldn't kill Toris at least, she had plans for him...but Feliks and Elizaveta? There was no telling.

She really shouldn't have been complaining though. Alfred, she knew, might be dead...the real reason rage filled Elizaveta at the thought of Natalya. She'd dropped him off at the side of the road like garbage, and Elizaveta hadn't been able to see how bad his wounds are... But Elizaveta knew she could find him, only she first had to figure out a way out of this mess! Elizaveta tensed as she heard heavy footsteps. Oh no...it was Natalya's second-in-command! That frightening tall man.

He reached down towards her, and she bit her lip, waiting for the feeling of a cold blade, or a stranglehold. Elizaveta's legs were tied, so she obviously couldn't run. But instead, he gently turned her over on her back, touching the girl as though she was a fragile little kitten. He stared at the painful purple bruise on Elizaveta's jaw. It was quite large, and throbbed whenever she accidently clacked her teeth together.

"What're you-?" he cut her off before she could ask my question. He touched the bruise gently. It didn't even hurt as he did so.

"I d'd th't." he murmured in an apologetic manner. He pulled a small container of what appeared to be cream out of his pocket, and smeared some of the stuff on Elizaveta's bruise. It stung at first then the pain dulled away. He...was helping her? "Uh, thanks." she said. What was she supposed to say? That she hated him for punching her? Besides, the guy really did look guilty as he tended to the bruise. So she then asked the question that was suddenly on her mind. "How did someone like you end up working with someone like her? Are you really a Nord?"

He looked at her for a moment, and sadness crossed his features. "...No 'm n't." he replied. Then he stood up and walked away. Elizaveta wondered...if he wasn't a Nord, what was he?

* * *

"I hope you didn't disobey my orders. Keeping our prisoners hungry will keep them weak, thus more manageable." Natalya stated emotionlessly. She eyed Berwald coldly.

''...N' I d'dn't..."

"Good, you recall what would happen to your little friend if you weren't to cooperate." it was a statement, not a question. Berwald's eyes flashed with fury before he calmed once more. Natalya continued on as though she hadn't noticed. "I don't enjoy working with that fool Matthias, but it seems they require the skills of a master Assassin...the Wang Empire wants to stop any allies from reaching Regnoc. Though why they would bother with such a pathetic little ambassador I really don't know..."

* * *

Toris swallowed weakly, how did he always get into these messes!? Tied up by Nords and on his way to the Wang Empire...the emperor would tear him apart! He hadn't been this scared since the night he broke Feliks out of jail. Although...it was surprising how well his friend could pull off being a girl. He glanced at his friend, whose sparkly, long shards of diamond-decorated hair bow was lopsided and face smudged with dirt. Toris felt guilty...if he had just helped Feliks out of Clorence and not let him along on this journey in the first place, he wouldn't be in this mess. And Eli didn't deserve this either.

For someone literally inducted into Regnoc's Army three days ago, and such a young man at that, it had surprised Toris how much Eli had struggled against the Nords...until they threatened to kill the ambassador's companion. But what was on Toris' mind was if these men were really Nords. Natalya didn't wear the crest, nor did Berwald, only Matthias did. And from the way the bandits cringed when Natalya walked by, and yet were impassive to Matthias, Toris guessed they were her men, not his.

If he hadn't seen it himself, Toris might not believe Natalya was capable of such cold and level-headed combat when their group was attacked...however he remembered seeing the knife hit Alfred. Silently, he snorted to himself. Alfred wasn't dead. The ambassador had known Alfred far too long to honestly believe the Captain was dead. He'd been through much,_ much_ worse. Only Al's close friends knew he wore his chest plate under his clothes. Captain Jones had only played dead when the bandits dropped him at the side of the road.

They just had to buy time until the hero showed up. But apparently, that wasn't Feliks' plan. Toris held his breath while his friend shook his head back quietly. The guards weren't watching. Finally, what the young man wanted fell from the hair bow. Those diamonds weren't actually diamonds, but small glass-shaped knives in case of emergency. Feliks caught the small shard of glass in his bound hands. It was small, but given enough time, it could cut through the thick rope.

But, alas, Feliks hadn't been discreet enough. A hand seized down on the cross dresser, yanking the glass away and slicing his hand. Where had she come from!? Natalya pushed down on Feliks legs with her legs, and yanked up on his arms, almost pulling them from their sockets. He yelped.

"Little fool, what do you think you are doing?"

"Why ask if you already know, you _bitch_!?

He did not just say that! _He did not just say that_! Was Feliks trying to get them killed!?

Apparently so, her eyes flashed muderously, and she drew two of her own knives.

"Felina!" Eli rolled as hard as he could and knocked into Natalya's legs, sending her off balance. As he did so, Natalya dropped the knife and shard. Eli caught it and slashed through his bonds. Then he was on his feet, tackling Natalya. They rolled, and Eli came up on top of her. She kneed him hard in the stomach, making him gasp. Feliks was inch-worming towards the dropped shard of glass. He grabbed it and began working through his own ropes.

Eli punched Natalya repeatedly, and Toris felt a rush of chivalry rush through him despite Natalya being their enemy. "Eli! Do you _have_ to punch her so much!?"

The young girl slashed Eli with her long nails, but finally Eli kicked her and stumbled to his feet. He rushed over to Feliks who'd freed himself, and grabbed Toris by the shirt, dragging him along the dirt as they ran for their lives. They heard the Natalya screaming for her men to find them.

* * *

Toris jerked his face up, avoiding every tree root and rock that was along the ground. Finally they came to a stop, panting below a dark tree. "I-I'm sorry Ambassador...It was the only was we could get away fast enough, we didn't have time to cut you loose properly." Eli apologized as he sliced through Toris' ropes with Natalya's knife.

"We, like, can't stay here for long...I already hear them behind us." Feliks added. Sure enough, in the distance, they heard the noisy footsteps of the bandits. Eli frowned, as though contemplating something.

"...I'll lead them away." Eli finally murmured.

"What? You're not serious!" Toris gasped. Was Eli really willing to sacrifice himself!?

"Yes, I am. You and Felina have a better chance of escaping if I lead the worst of them away. Besides, we all know war is coming, don't we?" The small group fell dead silent at this horrible honesty. The Wang had already dominated so much of the different lands. Siensia, Reenson, Clorence, and Regnoc would soon be involved in the conflict, no doubt.

"This meeting with King Arthur was about supporting each other when the invasions finally begin, right? You, the ambassador of Clorence, need to get your country to support Regnoc. Your meeting will be crucial for this. If Regnoc falls, all the countries will. I don't want my beloved Siensia, or any of the other countries to be taken over. Regnoc _must_ win." Eli tiredly brushed his hair out of his eyes. "I'm nothing. You could ensure a future for our countries that isn't serving The Wang. Let me lead them away."

Tears filled Toris' eyes. "...Fine...just, protect yourself! Please!" the ambassador choked quietly. He didn't want anyone to give themselves up for his sake.

"Good. Now, go!" Eli turned and ran.

* * *

"Do you think he'll be all right?" Toris panted as he ran through the dark woods. There was no reply. "Feliks?" The cross-dresser was gone. "Feliks!? Did he abandon me!?" Toris gaped.

"I'm certain he did." Toris jumped. He slowly turned, praying he was wrong. Oh shit, he wasn't! Natalya stood in the dark, her platinum hair illuminated by the moon. Toris felt his heart skip a beat, but not from fear.

She...was beautiful. As regal and poised as the princess of the moon, bathed in moonlight, but fierce and stern like the legendary huntress Artemis. Somehow, Toris didn't feel afraid of her."W-where are your men?" he finally asked when he remembered to breathe.

"Chasing some miniscule bug I'm sure. I came for _you_." Natalya snarled darkly.

"Why would someone as wonderful as you be in this sort of business? Why are you chasing me?" Toris asked, concerned. This somehow seemed to infuriated the young mercenary.

"No! I'm not wonderful! If I was wonderful, why would I..." she jerked off, her voice catching. Most people wouldn't have noticed it. Toris did. "Are you crying?" he asked worriedly.

Natalya looked up, emotionless once more.

" It's not about you. The Wang is paying me well, but more importantly...I want the information they have. I need to know...just who I am..."

"You don't know?"

"I can't remember anything past the age of 7, when I woke up in some filthy orphanage. I had no family, no friends, no possessions except an old doll-dress, and nowhere to go. I hated the conditions there, but I was- _am_, a survivor, if nothing else. So I learned to steal. And kill. Mercenary work served me well."

Toris shivered at how calmly she said this. "There are other ways. You could learn who you are without hurting people. You could find your family. I'd be willing to help you." He smiled warmly.

Natalya jolted as though she'd received an electrical shock. She stared at his sunny smile in disbelief, before real tears filled her eyes, despite her expressionless mask. "No...you can't help me.. No one can!" She shouted this, and leapt for him with her knives.

* * *

"I saw you trailing us since the moment we got away." Feliks had Berwald backed against a tree trunk, a sharp glass-shard pointed at his jugular. Berwald still terrified Feliks, but he wasn't about to show it.

"Y' r'm'nd m' of m'wife." Berwald murmured randomly.

"W-what?" Feliks asked, startled.

"Tino." the bespectacled man clarified.

"I-isn't that a guy's name?"

"Yes."

"Then how can he be your _wife_?"

Ignoring the question, Berwald continued on. "D'nt want t' h'rt any'ne, j'st w'nt m'wife back."

"T-The Nords took him? Why?"

"Used t' b' a mercenary. T'cked off The W'ng. They're f'rcing m' t' w'rk for th'm 't'll they w'n this war. They w'nt g've m'wife b'ck t'll then."

Berwald raised his arms in surrender. Feliks looked surprised and stepped away.

"I'll l't y' go. I'll say I couldn't f'nd y'." Berwald turned and walked away, leaving a very confused Feliks.

* * *

"Damn it!" Elizaveta had come to a dead end. The trees had concealed the stone wall of a cliff's underside.

"Out of room to run, huh?" Matthias and the bandits were behind her. Ugh, no weapons, no place to run. What now!? "So, you made sure we couldn't find the ambassador. Well, I hate to disappoint you, but actually Natalya and Berwald are searching the woods right now. There's no way they'll survive this night." The Nord stepped forward and pain, red-hot and searing shot through Elizaveta as he slashed her chest with his sword.

_Oh no...my bindings!_ Elizaveta thought through the haze of pain. She pressed her hand to her chest to stop the blood flow, praying the bindings wouldn't show. Matthias chuckled and grabbed her by the ponytail, pressing her up against the cliff's wall.

"YOU _BASTARD_!"

Elizaveta gasped and stared at her rescuer. _Gilbert!?_ His red eyes were flashing and he was suddenly a blur of coordination, slashing and whirling and stabbing through the thirty-something men. She saw the blades he was so proud of, red with blood. He paused once, to sling his blades, cleaning the sheen of blood off as it glittered through the air. Then he was a demon once more.

Screams of pain could be heard everywhere. Elizaveta blinked in stunned silence, now kneeling on the ground. He was incredible! And a little frightening. Was he really fighting...for _her_? For some reason she felt oddly lighter. And just as soon as it had started, the bloodbath stopped. Gilbert had Matthias pinned to the ground with one boot, fury still in his eyes. The men around him lay unconscious or severely wounded.

"No one. _No one_. Hurts an Awesome friend of mine." The albino's eyes glittered darkly. He'd called _her_ Awesome? "Move, and I _will_ kill you. Stay there." Gilbert hissed to Matthias. Then he snapped his attention to Elizaveta. "Oh! Oh shit!" he ran to her and knelt down next to her.

"Eli! Oh man, there's blood everywhere! How deep is it!? Let me see!" His hands flew to her shirt, and he tried to unbutton it. Elizaveta snapped out of la-la land.

"No! I-I mean I can handle it!" She gasped, redder than ever. Elizaveta shoved his hands away. Gilbert looked away.

"_Was?"_

"I-it's not that bad! I've always dressed my wounds myself."

"But it could get infected."

"I'll be fine."

"But-"

"Fine."

"_Verdammt!_ Don't you get it, Eli!? I care about you! You don't need to do everything on your own. You can depend on me!"

This shut Elizaveta up in an instant. Gilbert stared at her expectantly. He seemed...so earnest. And for once, he was being so kind. When was the last time she'd really, truly depended on someone? Even Bella didn't count, because Elizaveta would've learned another way to escape if Bella hadn't helped her. So...never. Tears filled her eyes unexpectedly.

"Oh, uh- uh -uh! Did I do something!?" The poor albino looked frantic. Gilbert didn't do well with anyone crying. Especially not someone as tough as Eli. What the hell was he supposed to do!? How did he make him stop crying!? Why was he crying!? She quickly giggled once, wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"It's all right Gil. Thank you." Once she realized no one could see her bindings through her shirt, Elizaveta quickly cut a strip of cloth from her cloak and allowed Gilbert to tie it properly around the cut for her. He offered her a hand to help her up. She took it, and suddenly wished they weren't wearing gloves to separate their hands. Would his hand be smooth and callused? Or rougher? Elizaveta blinked and wondered why she'd wondered that of all things.

"I'm glad you're okay Eli. I was worried those punks had boiled you in oil! I sent a couple of losers from our unit ahead to find the ambassador and the Captain. Let's go!"

Elizaveta ran alongside him quietly. She was touched he'd worried for her. She only wished it was Elizaveta he was worried for and not Eli. The young girl hated the fact he didn't know who she was, but even now she wasn't sure if she could trust him with that.l

* * *

Toris trembled. The sword blocked the knife just before his heart. Alfred had barely blocked the blow with his arm guards. Natalya seemed surprised that she'd been stopped."I don't like hitting girls, but here I'll make an exception!" He shoved her as hard as he could. The green gems in his arm guards pulsed lightly as he did so, and she went flying. Natalya slammed into the tree where she lay crumpled. Gasping for breath, she looked up at Toris.

The look in her eyes broke his heart. It was so lost. "If you ever need help...you're welcome to come to me...I'll be there." He whispered softly. She passed out.

Raivis and Eduard were in awe of their captain. "Sir, how did you do that!?" Raivis gasped.

Alfred grinned. "Gift from Arthur." He tapped his arm guards. "Improves my strength." he winked.

"Captain Jones!" They turned towards to the voice. Eli was walking towards them, Gilbert with him. Felina came and tackled Toris. "I'm sooo like happy you're okay!" she squealed. Quietly in a voice no one could hear, Feliks added. "I am glad you're all right. I had a run in with that scary guy."

Alfred surveyed his troops. Toris and Felina were all right. Eli was cut up, but he'd be fine, the border wasn't far, and the border point could give him some proper medical attention. And Gilbert, Raivis, and Eduard were all in fighting-fit condition. He grinned. "All right! ON TO REGNOC!" He cried.

* * *

_"Ugh..."_ _young soldier groaned. He remembered being attacked. But! Reenson was in flames...he had to do __**something**__! He struggled to sit up. Soft hands pressed him back down. He felt a cool cloth wipe his head. Where was he? _

_"You need new bandages, you're bleeding right through...oh maple..."_

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Don't worry the next chapter is way better than this. This one felt kind of blergh.


	6. Chapter 6

**Elizaveta's POV**

"How are you, Eli?" Gilbert pulled up beside me on his horse. I was riding in a newly-acquired carriage. Back at the border's checkpoint most of the soldiers had stayed behind since a smaller group wouldn't be in any danger in Regnoc. There we had also gotten horses for us, as well as a carriage. Despite my protests and insisting I was fine Alfred had made me ride in the carriage so I wouldn't open my wound again. It was healing nicely on the journey back to Regnoc's capital of Nolond.

It was only the early morning hours and Feliks and Toris were sleeping inside the wagon while I was awake. Raivis and Eduard, I'd learned, were actually Toris' personal bodyguards(I pitied Toris, a fat lot of good those two would do in a crisis), so they stuck very closely to the wagon in case a second attack occurred "Fine, Gil. Don't worry." I smiled at him. I enjoyed this moment, it was so peaceful.

"YO GUYS! WAKE UP! WE'RE HERE!" Alfred yelled from ahead of us. Gilbert and I sweat-dropped and leaned over to see the Capital gates finally.

"Stop! Who goes there!?" One of the guards at the Capital gates cried. Alfred sent him a deadpan look.

"JUST WHO DO YOU THINK!?" The Captain yelled back. The guard went white and ducked back into his post.

"Captain Jones! So sorry sir! I didn't know it was you! Your business went well I assume?"

"Yeah. Could you open the gates?"

"Yes sir! Right away!"

Slowly the gates rolled open and Nolond came into view.

I caught my breath. This was the first time I'd been out of Siensia because of the rules of the Nobility not allowing women to leave their estates. I hadn't been sure what to imagine when I thought of Nolond Capital, but this blew every idea out of the water.

In Siensia, the cities were often made of pine woods and richly colored shingles, and cobbled roads. Nolond was completely different. Despite the early morning hour, several people were out and about, walking up the street. In the market places by the harbor, merchants selling various vegetables and fish. Several majestic ships sat in the harbor, many of them I knew, part of Regnoc's Navy. The streets were brick as were many buildings, with many of the gothic-styled houses having richly flowered garden boxes in their windows. Many young boys and girls ran about between people's legs, and carriages of the wealthy rolled merrily along. And at the top of the hill nearby, sat an enormous castle larger than any I had ever seen. It was more gorgeous than any of the Noble's mansions in Siensia.

So...that was where King Arthur Kirkland lived. "_Mein Gott_." Gilbert breathed.

"It's made of marble with alabaster carvings on the draw bridge and stained glass windows imported from Drimad. The castle doors alone is approximately 20 feet tall." I murmured quietly in awe. Gilbert stared at me as though I'd just suggested lighting my trousers on fire. _Idiot! Your noble is showing! _I scolded myself in my thoughts."Uh, Toris told me." I said sheepishly to Gilbert.

"Home sweet home." Alfred grinned at me. I got down from the carriage and walked along the carriage. Toris and Feliks were now awake and watching the streets happily. Alfred, many times, called out to people he knew and often stopped to chat "Hey there Molly! How're the kids? Tell 'em Uncle Al said hello." "Jameson! My man! Is that little calf feeling any better? Still sick?" "Sheesh Clary, how on earth did a polar bear get caught in the sails of the _Fair Lady_? It wasn't Kumajirou was it?" He also had a tendency to point out places he recognized to us foreigners. I was in awe of how friendly my captain was with all these people. I thought of General Ivan speaking to bakers and their wives and shivered. No way. He'd terrify them too much.

I felt a warm flicker of affection for these people who looked so happy and carefree. I prayed that this war we might just soon be fighting would never touch them. I just wanted them to stay the way they were. I realized with a start that many of these people were wearing silvery masks, and that there were many more stalls in the streets than normal.

"Oh yeah! I forgot today was the Anniversary of the Constellation Spirit's Protection! It's festival day! Just you wait until tonight's light display! It'll be amazing!" Alfred cried.

Oh. That was right. Today was the day a thousand years ago, the patron Spirit of Asgard,( the great land mass that was once all the countries of the world put together) Protected the peoples of all the countries. The legend says that there were once many fire demons attacking the innocent people of the world, in an attempt to cover it in fire. The Constellation Spirit, so the legend says, defended everyone in the harmonious Asgard, by sending a cool rain of stars down to smother the angry Demon Flames. The price however, was having the Constellation Spirit die from exhaustion, and Asgard split apart into the countries we have today- Reenson, Siensia, Regnoc, Wang, Clorence, and the devastated nations under the Wang's control Baaz and Espron. Not only that, but a handful of small island nations were created as well, like Drimad.

The other price, was that while the Demon Flames were physically smothered, their rage still flickered in the peoples' hearts. This is why we had wars and violence in the world. If the Constellation Spirit returned...perhaps the war would end.

I snorted. Yeah, right. A long-haired prince of a spirit, wearing a silver mask, with his staff of stars at hand, ready to defend the people and end war. Hhmph. I'd never believed in legends like that. Gilbert by now had joined Alfred and was pointing out bars he knew. I jolted. Since when had Gilbert been here before?

I pinched his arm. "Gilbert, you've been here before?"

"Yeah. A friend of mine and Lutz' lives here and we visit him. I think you'll like him!" Gilbert grinned.

"After the meeting with His Majesty, you guys can go enjoy the light show and festival tonight if you like! I know I will!" Alfred winked cheerily at us. "I always give my men the night off tonight!"

* * *

And that was how Gilbert and I ended up spending the day at the festival. We walked all over the city. So many people were wearing silver masks, we paused at the various stalls. I was watching a fire-breathing show, the actors playing the fire demons when suddenly some breadlike was in my vision.

"Gil, what is this?"

"Sign said it was a scone. National food of Regnoc. Ever had one? I haven't."

"No." We bit into our scones. We spent the next hour dry-heaving with sweats.

* * *

"Woah! You jerk!" Gilbert dumped a freezing cold bucket of water on me! My teeth chattered as I chased him.

"Catch me if you can loser! Not that you ever could catch someone as totally Awesome as me!" Gil ran away cackling.

* * *

"Oh, hey Eli I think those chicks are checking you out."

"W-what?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. ~Kesesese! But more are looking at me of course." I hoped they were all staring at him. I didn't want girls to be staring at me! That would be too weird. But wait, no I didn't want anyone looking at Gilbert but me! Wait, no they could all look at him! No! Yes! UGH! How did this get so complicated!? Why was I feeling like this!?

"Aw Eli! Why'd you do that!? You scared them off! Why did you death-glare them? And why do you have a skillet?"

* * *

"You know Eli, you've really loosened up since I met you. You're really not a bad guy!"

"Um, thanks Gilbert. Maybe it's your influence." I shook my head embarrassedly. It was true, around Gil I could be myself more than any other time. Except for one crucial detail. Again, I wondered if he would be angry...would he?

* * *

"All right troops! We can get back to partying later, but His Majesty will have a cow if we keep him waiting any longer. LET'S GO!" Captain Jones had rounded our small group up.

* * *

Oh no. I held my breath. Back home I'd been in similar situations to this, meeting important, men and important people. I'd had to bite my tongue and smile at the pompous prats with wandering hands, just so Father could decide whether or not he should allow them to join his hunting parties, or his new banking measures, or hire one of their mercenaries to guard the Noble mansions. Father had always told me the only useful thing about me was my looks. But out of rebellion I had only smiled, not charmed them and tittered like at airhead at everything they said as though it was clever. But surely King Arthur wasn't like that. Not with the way Alfred had talked about him.

Because we were newly inducted members of one of Alfred's Knights units, the King required us to meet with him. That and Toris' meeting with him needed to be out of the way. I wondered if King Arthur would let Alfred induct us into the Royal Guards as well. The Royal Knights defended all of Regnoc.. The Guards protected the Royal family. The Royal Knights had a series of ranking in command, the highest being Captain. The Royal Guard had three Captains in charge of their guards. All Captains, regardless of being in the Guard of army of Knights, had to obey the King's orders.

Alfred was a captain of the Royal Knights where he had control over some units in the army, and a Royal Guard Captain as well. That meant he had complete control over the Guards, but not complete control over the army of knights. This combination of the Royal Guard Captain with a ranking of Captain in the Royal Knights was known as the position of Head Knight. The Head Knight was hand-picked by the King as one of his advisors in protecting the interests of Regnoc, and was chosen from a series of Head Knight nominees, either from the Guard or Army. Once chosen, they would be given the second Captain ranking they needed to be Head Knight, and would join the King's advisors. The fact that _Alfred_ was the Head Knight was astonishing to say the least. Most nominees, were hardened military knights, but apparently that was not the with Alfred.

The Guards pulled the Throne Room's humongous doors open, nodding respectfully at their captain, and Alfred led us inside. Toris following him, holding Feliks' hand as he played the part of the Ambassador's sweetheart, and Gilbert and I following last.

The throne room was beautiful, with dark blood-red carpet. The carpet led up to a slightly higher floor, where two thrones were perched beneath a huge series of stained-glass windows, depicting famous scenes of Regnoc history, and the story of the Constellation Spirit. One of the thrones was empty, since Regnoc was yet to have a queen. But the other...

Feliks went to the side after politely curtsying. Toris bowed quietly. Alfred kneeled, his head on his sword, signifying his service to the king. Gilbert and I quickly kneeled as well. "Your Majesty, your Head Knight has returned. I come again to your service." Alfred said, sounding the most formal he ever had.

"Please rise." We got to our feet. I gazed up at the king. I was surprised how young he was. 22? 23? His hair was short and golden, and his eyes were emerald green, shining brightly. His eyebrows, I struggled not to scoff at them, were incredibly large. His clothes were fine, but not overly fancy like one wanting to show off their status. He wore a neat red dress shirt and white ascot. His slacks were tan and his knee-length boots dark brown and well kept. However, he didn't wear a crown. He didn't need one, obviously. His very presence was full of power, and he just _felt _kingly.

"Alfred, drop the formalities. It's rather unnatural." His Majesty sighed. The somber look dropped off Alfred's face instantly and he grinned widely.

"Hey, Artie! What's up, man? I can't wait to see the fireworks you cooked up for tonight!"

Gilbert's jaw dropped and we stared at each other wide-eyed. Talking to just Nobles that way, not even kings, would usually earn you a stay in the stocks, or even 40 lashes if it was a particularly bad tempered blue-blood. How the _hell_ did he get away with this!? However the king rolled his eyes as though this was commonplace.

"It's simple Alchemy Alfred, it's not that hard. You were at the festival up to now, weren't you? No wonder you're so late."

Toris stepped forward nervously. "I-it is an honor to meet you Your Majesty. My country wishes to let you know we give you our full support against the tyranny of the Wang."

King Arthur smiled and stepped down from his throne. "Thank you for coming Ambassador Laurinatis. It's good to know we have allies such as yours. Alfred was right in telling me to trust you. We will discuss the arms agreement in a moment." He glared at Alfred, who was tugging on this arm and pointing at us.

"These are the two new guys I inducted into one of my Knight Units! They helped save Toris from bandits. That's Gilbert, and this is Eli. He got hurt by one of the Nords." Alfred blurted out.

"The Nords, you say? So those parasites of the Wang really are sinking their claws into Siensia. That won't do. That won't do at all." King Arthur's eyes darkened. "You have my thanks for rescuing the Ambassador you two. You're welcome to stay in Alfred's unit as long as you want. Maybe one day you will become a member of my Guard. I hope this is true."

My cheeks glowed red. He really was different from other men of the ruling class. It seemed like he didn't really care what he was, but instead what he was doing. I blinked. Meeting someone like him was really a first for me, no wonder Alfred spoke so highly of him.

"T-thank you Your Majesty. I hope you're right as well. It'd be an honor to serve you!'' I spoke without thinking, even though I believed these words. Arthur raised his eyebrows, then smiled. He flicked his finger, and a flash of light, soothing and cool ran across my chest. "What?" I gasped. I felt my wound close completely.

Gilbert realized what he'd done. ''You really are a Sorcerer!" He cried.

"Did you think that was something someone would lie about?" Alfred asked. He looked confused. "Hey Artie, it was nice of you to do that, but why didn't you call Mattie? He would've taken care of it." The captain continued on.

This was when a flash of emotions ran across King Arthur's face. Worry. Sadness. Guilt. He slouched momentarily like an old man, who'd aged a number of years with that very phrase. Then he straightened. "Alfred, I'm afraid I have to tell you something I really wish I didn't." Alfred looked surprised. His Majesty turned walked back up to his throne, sitting down tiredly. He ran a hand over his face. He was silent for a long moment.

"Artie, you're freaking me out here. What happened?"

King Arthur took a deep breath. "Matthew isn't in Regnoc. He's in Reenson. The Wang has invaded it."

Alfred went still. Gilbert did beside me as well.

Toris gasped aloud. "The Wang is in Reenson!? But I thought they wouldn't be ready to invade again for quite some time."

"I'm afraid they were ready. Alfred, I hate to say this, but I had to send troops to aid Regnoc. We managed the evacuation of many citizens, but Matthew demanded I send him to help the wounded." Alfred was silent despite Arthur's explanation. The guilt was plain on Arthur's face. "I didn't want to send my Prime Healer but he insist-"

"Is that all he is to you!? Your Prime Healer? You sent _Mattie _to a Wang-infested country? You sent my _little brother_ to that place?" Alfred looked furious. He looked as though he wanted to hurl all the blame, anger, and fear he had at King Arthur this very moment.

"Alfred I-"

"I can't believe this!" Alfred cried. "Mattie's not a fighter! He won't make it! Listen to me _Arthur_, send me to Reenson! Send me to Reenson to save him! Order me to take my men along, and I'll go find him._ Please_. I'm not going to pretend I'm not crazy-angry with you, but me being mad won't stop the Wang from killing Matt. If you don't order me to, I'll go anyway, whether you say yes or not!" My captain was breathing heavily now, eyes smoldering, and his knuckles were white.

King Arthur looked conflicted and pained once more. "Take your best men with you." He finally said. A fire had lit in his eyes. "But there's no point in you leaving tonight, by the time you reach Reenson after the journey to Siensia you'll be exhausted."

Alfred gritted his teeth, then swept out, his cape trailing behind him. My stomach tightened uncomfortably in the tense silence. I hadn't expected our first meeting with the king to go like this. I glanced at him once more, but he was lost in thought. It was plain he cared for Matthew and Alfred both. But I couldn't help but wonder...two brothers in the service of the King? That really was odd. I glanced over at Gilbert now. I went cold at his expression.

Gil was white-faced, and his eyes unseeing. _Right_, his home had been invaded. "Gilbert?" I lightly touched his arm. He jolted and looked up at me. "Eli..._mein bruder_." I reared back at the horrible realization. His only brother was a knight...that meant he was on the frontlines of this war.

* * *

King Arthur had excused us, but I felt as though someone had taken a rusting dagger and was now twisting it in my heart. Gilbert looked sick, and was kneeling at the altar. He wasn't praying I knew, just trying desperately to keep his composure. He'd asked to come here. The castle's cathedral was quiet, and finally Gilbert spoke. "Eli...do you think Ludwig could still be alive? From the sound of things, the Wang massacred everyone." I felt as though someone had taken a rusting dagger and was now twisting it in my heart.

"I...don't know, Gilbert." I said softly. His shoulders shook badly... Outside in the dark of the night the fireworks display had begun in beautiful showers of white-light sparks. But I was indifferent to anything but Gilbert's suffering. I wanted so, _so_ badly to make him stop hurting. To stop his fear and worry . I'd hated the Wang before, but now it was so much more _personal_. They'd made so many people lose their homes, family members, even their lives. Now Gilbert was one of the suffering.

I thought of how little I had thought about the sufferings of the Wang's conquered people and was disgusted by my former apathy. Seeing someone's suffering up close brought about a new perspective completely. Seeing _Gilbert's_ suffering changed everything.**_ I would stop this, somehow._**

It was an impossible idea I knew, but from this moment I would do everything in my power to stop the Wang. And I'd start by helping one of my closest friends. I knelt and placed a hand on Gilbert's shoulder. The albino looked up at me, startled, so much like the first time I'd seen him in that bar weeks ago, when we had gotten into that fight. "I don't know, Gilbert. But I promise you this: I will do everything in my power to bring your brother home safe to you. I'll do everything I can to help you. I'll always stay at your side."

My cheeks had grown warm, wondering what had brought this on. And then... I leaned forward, and hugged him. There was a silence for a moment, and then Gilbert hugged me back. "_Danke_, Eli." he murmured softly. He pulled away, giving me a grateful look, and I saw the pain in his eyes once more. Then suddenly he was leaping to his feet with an arrogant laugh. "You're right! I was going to just ditch this Knight thing after we got here, but now my _bruder _is in trouble! I guess the Awesome Me has to go rescue his ass! Me and you will conquer those Wang bastards!" I blinked at his sudden changed in demeanor before smiling.

I pressed arms with him. "Hell yeah we will!" I laughed. Then I paused. All right, enough secrets, he was already worried enough, and finding this out later would only stress him in battle. I was going to tell him. "Gilbert?"

"What?"

"I'm really a-"

"~Ve...you really shouldn't talk like that in the House of the Father." a high-pitched voice interrupted. We jumped. I turned to look at the newcomer. Gilbert ran over to the newcomer and lifted him up in a one-armed manly hug. "Feli!" I was surprised. He knew this guy? The kid was a shrimp, with a closed-eye expression and a clueless smile. He wore the long white robes of a priest a small white cap and a golden crucifix on a long chain. His hair was auburn with one random curl sticking out. "Eli! This is Feliciano, he's the friend I wanted you to meet!"

* * *

The knife was poised over Toris, ready to strike. He was sleeping peacefully, all she had to do was one quick slash and it was over, she would finally know who she was with the Wang's help. And yet...she thought of his offer to help her. Toris' warm smile, his sincerity. No one had ever talked or looked at her like that before. Her legs gave out from under her like water, and tears flowed down her face. She couldn't do it.

And she knew why. She knew why her heart was thumping uncontrollably, why she hadn't been able to stop thinking about him, and she knew why she wanted to follow him to the ends of the earth if she had too.

The intruder gulped, rubbed her tears away, and looked once more at the young Ambassador. He was the first one to ever be so kind to her and now...Natalya had fallen _in love _with him. Even though he already had a chosen...Natalya stared jealously at the sleeping blonde girl in a pink nightgown next to Toris. She took a deep breath. Natalya knew where her loyalties lay now. Even if those idiots Berwald and Matthias didn't like it, they were backstabbing the Wang. They were going to help Regnoc, and more importantly, _Toris_, whether they liked it or not!

The young mercenary girl tapped Toris' head with her blade's handle. He blinked sleepily for a moment before his eyes widened and he opened his mouth to scream. Natalya clamped her hand down on his mouth. "I've decided to take your offer. What do you need to know about the Wang's plans?" her emotionless whisper cut through the night's air. It had taken on a chill.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Longer chapter! I'm so sorry for making you guys wait so long for this new chapter, I'm really a jerk. Please read and review, let me know what you think of the relationship development between Elizaveta and Gilbert! And we'll see what's happened in Reenson very soon! I can't wait to hear from you all! :-D


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I apologize for the extreme lateness of this chapter. I haven't been able to update any of my fics lately, because school has been murder and anything I wrote would've been crappy. I never abandon my fanfictions though, so don't worry! :)! Thanks for all your support guys, I really appreciate it! The next update will be sooner, because Finals are finally over!

* * *

**Ludwig's POV**

"Ugh... _Wo bin ich?" _I groaned, my sides felt as though one of my hounds had used them as a chew toy. I couldn't remember for a moment where I was, or what had happened to me. Then every ounce of blood drained from my face.

Fire...soldiers...women and children crying...the sound of explosions and gunshots. "_VERDAMMT!"_I yelled. Those bastards from the Wang! They weren't welcome in my country! Those parasites had invaded, and my countrymen were scattered. My heart raced, where were my men!? I had to-! I gasped as pain shot through me once more, and forced me back down to my knees.

"Oh! Careful there! Lay back, you'll tear your stitches!" A soft voiced exclaimed. _An enemy-!_ I was on top of the speaker in an instant, pinning him to the ground, my leg in his gut. "_Maple...leaf..." _He gasped, the wind knocked out of him.

I blinked, my vision clearing and I got a better look at the speaker. I realized with shock he was younger than I was. His hair was slightly long, and wavy, a light blonde color. His eyes were clear violet-blue behind spectactles, and he stared up at me worriedly.

I registered now what he had said, not having realized it before. He was either Siensian, or a citizen of Regnoc, judging from the language. I managed to stutter out the words I needed. "Who...are you?" I asked carefully.

"Matthew Williams. I'm a healer from Regnoc. Please get off of me!" He said softly. I slowly got up and watched him warily as he pulled himself to a sitting position and placed a hand on his own ribs, wincing.

_A healer from Regnoc?_ My muscles relaxed ever so slightly. He was from one of our Allies. So he wasn't an enemy. But looking at him now I began to wonder if how I had thought so in the first place, he looked as though he would never want to harm anyone. He had a gentle air to him, as though he couldn't possibly want to fight.

"Your wound was pretty deep, for awhile I was afraid you might bleed out. I don't think there's much chance of infection now, though. Those Wang certainly know how to tear someone up." Matthew murmured as he checked my bandages.

"Yes, Wang certainly does." I replied.

"What kind of weapon did he use? Along with being deep, the edges of your wound were burnt.

"It was himself. I don't know how he did it but his hands...they were like fire." I wasn't sure how I could describe it.

"That reminds me of some rumors that I heard..." Matthew trailed off. Then he blinked. "Did you say _a_ Wang or Wang?" He suddenly asked.

"Wang himself." I growled.

The healer's face went white. "You faced _Yao Wang_, the emperor of the Wang Empire?" He repeated, as though he'd misheard.

"_Ja,_ he's every bit as pyschotic as they say. He has a strange new weapon, magic, maybe? But it's nothing like any magic that I've ever seen. This weapon allowed him to change himself, and his soldiers to fire, then reappear as his original self unscathed."

Matthew closed his eyes as though pained. "That's bad...that's _very_ bad..."

Then he looked up at me, suddenly his eyes were alight.

"We've got to get this information to Regnoc, King Arthur needs to know this! We need to warn them against any new advantages Yao Wang might have."

"We do need to do that, but it will be difficult to sneak through the border. Impossible for the two of us. But then again, I know someone who can get us across." I smirked slightly.

"Who?" Matthew asked.

"He is one of my lieutenant knights. I happen to be a general in the Reenson Republic's army." I pointedly tapped the Iron Cross signifying my rank. " But for two people inexperienced in the ways of the Wang, we would be spotted and sent to be executed the minute we tried _anything_ near the border." I pinched the bridge of my nose tiredly.

"However, my lieutenant has spent the last three years undercover in the Wang Territories. He's gathered us valuable information, which is the reason we'd been able to prevent an invasion this long. However, our Chancellor decided that his testimony would be needed here to punish war criminals we'd captured in previous battles with the Wang. If it weren't for that, he'd still be there as an agent of espionage." I leaned back, pausing in my explanation.

"Along with being a master of disguise he could sneak us past the border at any moment. However, when my unit was ambushed when we were sent to reinforce the capital, he was captured. Knowing him he's probably biding his time in a prison camp somewhere, not letting on just what sort of knight he is. He's probably waiting for the right signal to escape, and then he'll start sniping his way through the prison gates."

"Well, this hiding place in the Faraday Caverns was getting boring anyway. You ought to be well enough to travel by now." Matthew smiled and brushed his pants off as he stood up.

"By the way, where are your men?" I questioned. Surely he hadn't come here alone. "We split up just as the last of the evacuees we got out were crossing the border. Soldiers of the Wang intercepted us, and I was caught in crossfire. My only choice was to run, and that's when I found you...we've been hiding for about 3 days..." He ran a hand over his face, before turning back to me. "What's the name of this lieutenant of yours?"

"Vash Zwingli."

* * *

Beside me, my new companion let out a deep breath shakily. It had been a close shave just finding out what prison camp Vash might be in, but this was the most likely. We lay silently on the hill and peered over at the prison camp. Already barb wire fences with snipers waiting at the watch towers for escapees had been built. I knew the only difference with the prison camps and the work camps was the fact that the work camps mainly had women and children. I swallowed quietly. It was more than I could stand to think of what the conditions must be like on the inside.

We snuck silently down the hill, the cover of darkness concealing us both. Matthew stuck close to me, silent and quick as a ghost. We ducked down behind the edge of one of the towers and waited. Soon we heard two voices and footsteps passing along the side. I couldn't catch what they were saying, my languages skills didn't reach that of the Wang.

They crossed the corner and we took our chance. I'd taken a strip of cloth away from my uniform and now used it to yank around one of the soldier's neck. As I did this, Matthew's hand shot out, hitting the other soldier squarely in the throat, stopping him from yelling, as the soldier doubled over, clutching his throat, he quickly jabbed his pressure point on the side of this neck. The soldier slumped over.

From the rope of cloth cutting off his ability to breath, the soldier I held soon loss consciousness. "Impressive." I murmured quietly as we stripped the soldiers of their uniforms, guns and swords.

"Just medical knowledge." I somehow knew Matthew had shrugged modestly.

We donned the Wang soldiers uniform and walked quietly through the gates. Inside was a maze of tents and poorly built barracks. It was silent in the night, except for 3 of the barracks. They were brightly lit and I could hear music coming from them. Matthew and I pulled the cowls of the stolen uniforms down over our faces. Now no one would see our faces.

I could hear the soldiers, laughing loudly, and to my insult, speaking my own native tongue. Matthew blinked at me in confusion, not understanding a word.

The soldiers leaned casually against bars and to my fury, drank Reensonian beer! My hands shook silently as we looked around.

"Hey! You should join us for a drink! These Reenson barbarians actually know how to make decent beer! Isn't that right?" The one addressing us smirked over his own glass. He glared down at a young boy, perhaps 10 years old at the most. I wondered what someone like him would be doing here. "Fill it up, you worthless thing." He spat. He scuffed dirt in the boy's face and he glared up defiantly. The boy, small, blonde hair, a childish face with blue eyes dropped the serving tray he'd been holding.

"No. And I have a name." He replied quietly.

"What did you say?" The soldier demanded, his nostrils flaring in an ugly manner.

"I said, _no_." The boy stated slowly and clearly.

"You little scut!" The soldier slugged the boy in the stomach, and he fell over, and the soldier stepped on his head, shoving his face into the dirt.

"Get this into your head, you pathetic dog, we _own_ you now. Reenson is no more, just another trophy of our great Lord Yao Wang." The soldier whispered softly down at the boy.

The child was struggling not to cry, and now I snapped. I swiftly grabbed the man by the arm, barely restraining myself from breaking his wrist. "That's _enough_." On the inside I was a storm of fury, my hands were itching to grab the man's head and show him what it was like to be pushed painfully into the dirt. The boy stared up at me in amazement.

"What's the problem? You actually care about these worthless animals, perhaps you're really _disloyal_?" The soldier sneered.

"No, he is right, that is quite enough." We turned to see another soldier, in crisp white and blue robes, glaring at us. His face was expressionless and his eyes dark. His raven-hair was combed neatly.

The soldier gasped and quickly bowed to him. I awkwardly did the same, praying not to raise suspicion. "C-commander Honda! Please forgive me sir!" The soldier was stammering, and stuttering sounding like a brain-dead parrot.

"Enough. You are relieved of duty, and are confined to your barracks. You _dishonor_ yourself." Honda stated simply.

"But sir-!"

"Are you testing me, subordinate?" Something flashed in those expressionless eyes.

"No! No, not at all! Good night sir! Thank you sir!"

Honda turned to me. "New additions, are you two? Before you cause any more trouble, go to tents 23 and 25, the prisoners there have been unruly. It would be best to watch them closely." We both bowed and rushed out.

* * *

"What were you thinking!? I didn't understand any of that in there, but you couldn't gotten us killed! Hoser!" Even when he was angry, it seemed Matthew was quiet.

"Well, can you blame me!?" I snapped. "Tents 23 and 25 we are supposed to check. I suppose we can start our search for Zwingli now..." I silently slid the tent open a moment and peered inside. What little food I'd eaten recently rebelled inside my stomach. The men...my countrymen and fellow soldiers, were all so thin. I could see their ribs poking out, and even in sleep their faces were masks of anxiety and horror. I could imagine what they had seen these past few weeks. I wanted desperately to free them right here and now, but I knew it was impossible.

But then to my shock, I spotted the one we'd been looking for. A mop of blonde hair was spread out on his pillow. Vash Zwingli was in the first tent we'd looked in. I pointed him out to Matthew, and he slipped inside shaking his shoulder. And for the second time that day, he ended up pinned, only this time, with a knife at his throat.

"Zwingli! Vash!" I cried hoarsely in the dark. His neutral expression didn't even changed as he caught sight of me. Vash didn't bother to offer Matthew a hand up, and marched outside to meet me.

"General Beilschmidt." He saluted me silently Matthew glaring at him grudingly. He took notice of my guns and smiled. "I suppose we go to work soon. But first you need to hear what I've learned in my time here, you wouldn't believe it."

"When I first learned, I scarcely believed it myself." Matthew and I jumped and stared in horror at the soldier from before-Honda appearing from the dark. The boy from earlier was with him as well. Vash sighed. "Must you be so melodramatic? General Beilschmidt, it's good to see you alive, I figured you would come for me if you were." Vash gestured to the Wang Soldier" Meet Honda Kiku. He's a member of the inner circles of Yao Wang. He's explained to me all the things that seemed impossible before the new 'weapon' appeared. But just so you know, it's not actually a weapon in the sense of ordinary magic or technology. It's worse."

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I turned to Honda. "So you are a double agent? Good to know. Meet Matthew Williams, a healer from Regnoc. He saved my life and will act as the liaison to King Arthur to convince him what we say is true. Regnoc is preparing to enact a counter-measure very soon. It's important we cross the border quickly. But how did you know we were looking for Lieutenant Zwingli? That's why you sent us here, _ja_?"

"Your mannerisms made me guess who you were. I no longer believe in what Yao Wang stands for, so I go into battle against him. This is Peter. He is from Reenson as well. However, because he acted like a soldier, my subordinates thought it amusing to bring him to a prison camp instead of a work camp." The boy smiled brightly at me.

"Thanks a lot for helping me earlier!" He cried.

* * *

Sitting through Vash and Honda's explanation left Matthew and I breathless.

"Then...that old legend...This is insane..." Matthew whispered. I'd known Yao Wang was inhuman but _this_! This was-!

"Honda Kiku." A smug voice crept up from behind us. Vash and Peter had hidden back in the tent. Thanks to our disguises we went unnoticed. I ground my teeth irritably. It was the soldier from before. "What are you doing here? I ordered you to stay in your barracks!" Honda's expressionless face hid the anger that belied behind his eyes.

"Sorry, _sir_. Change of plans." I stifled a gasp when I realized several soldiers had surrounded us.

"Honda Kiku, by order of Emperor Yao Wang, we place you under arrest. You are to be taken back to the Capital of our glorious Empire where you will be placed on trial and executed. We're also under orders to execute the prisoners of the camps before escorting you to the Capital."

Matthew shot me a 'Oh Lord what do we do now' look with his eyes. Honda glanced back silently at me, before turning to the soldier and nodding. "I understand." He said. He held out his hands for the cuffs they placed upon him. Then they led Honda away.

The soldier shoved a gun into my hands. "You. Execute the prisoners of this tent once they're out in the yard." The other soldiers were dragging the men from tent after tent. Vash caught my eye as he passed.

Several of my countrymen stood silently including Vash. The Wang Soldiers stared at me expectantly. My heart pounded. I would not kill him. I would not kill any people of Reenson. I couldn't. But there was no way out! Honda was trapped, Matthew was trapped, Vash was trapped, I was trapped.

_Scheiße, Bruder_ _what would you do? _I thought.

* * *

A/N: Le gasp! What's going to happen to Matthew and Ludwig now? Are Vash and Kiku really going to be executed? What was the new secret Yao Wang is using? You'll have to read my next chapter to figure it out, but I did drop a hint in this chapter and the last :D See you next chapter, hope this one wasn't sucky!


	8. Chapter 8

**Multi POV**

Natalya ground her teeth and glared jealously at Felina. It drove her completely insane! How was it that someone as genuine and wonderful as Toris court _her_!? She was so fake and cutesy and weak! Natalya wanted to throttle the pathetic girl who could never appreciate her beloved Toris the way she did. The only reason she didn't was because...the thought of taking Toris' one true love from him sickened her. The thought of breaking his heart so that he would become as damaged and strange as Natalya herself was, was so horrible she couldn't stand it.

"Um, Feliks?" Toris whispered quietly to his friend.

"What?"

"W-why is she staring at me?" Not that Toris minded the attention, but she'd been staring at him for 20 minutes straight! Feliks glanced over Toris' shoulder to get a better look. Natalya stared fiery death at him.

"Eep! Like, how should I know!?" Feliks whirled around.

As Natalya paused in her inner turmoil she took the time to silently observe her allies. Ten of them total. There was her wonderful Toris, who had volunteered to go along on this mission because Regnoc's Prime Healer was also his friend. Because there were two other ambassadors from Clorence on their way to Regnoc, he had been allowed along. Pathetic little Felina, begging to come with her boyfriend. Her old allies Berwald and Matthias. That strange pair of men who had just been inducted into Regnoc's army- Eli and Gilbert. The priest Feliciano. The Head Knight Alfred himself of course, and also the most unexpected- King Arthur. She thought back to his decision to leave with the group.

* * *

_"Come on, Artie! We should already be leaving! Why the hell are we actually listening to these bozos!? You didn't forget they tried to gut us on our way here did you?" The Head Knight had already suited up in what little armor he wore and was obviously intent on leaving. His strength-increasing arm guards glittered in their place._

_ "Quiet, Alfred. It'd be foolhardy and stupid to just barrel into Reenson without a plan. You know we've been waiting for an opportunity to counterstrike for awhile and if what these three say are true, this information could be invaluable."_

_ "But how do we know they're telling the truth? They could be walking our soldiers right into a trap!''_

_ "With my truth spell endowed in the very stones of this room's walls? Please. Now tell us what you have to say .If you lie, I'll know it. But my first question is why you decided to betray the Wang in the first place."_

_ Natalya tensed, unable to lie but not wanting to divulge the whole truth. She had to be careful. "I simply had a change in loyalties, the Wang had offered me something I wanted but now I have another source to get it." Toris' eyes widened in realization." Assassinating allies of Regnoc before they arrive in your kingdom holds no appeal for me. So why not help the enemy of one who is now my enemy?"_

_ King Arthur pondered this for a moment and seemed to accept it._

_ "All right, where would we find weak points in the barricades the Wang set up? That's where our forces need to break through."_

_ Natalya pointed at a map Eli had just handed her. "Here. Here. And here. Three spots, they're heavily guarded but also the best places to try for a break through because fewer, weaker, troops are stationed there. And on these trails expect patrols. You could probably ambush them." Natalya gestured to each place._

_ King Arthur privately thought to himself that if they could push the Wang back to Reenson's capital and surround it, they could win Reenson back. He'd send spies to verify the weakness of these points. _

_ "One more question from me, then we'll hand you and your allies off for further questioning with my knights. Where could we find a healer from Regnoc?"_

_ "Finally!" Alfred muttered darkly._

_ "Likely at a prison camp. Which one I can't say for sure, but an unusual prisoner like that would be noticed."Natalya flicked her hair casually. "My best guess is you need to find my former director and superior. Tao Kaoru. He would know that sort of information." Berwald's eyes flashed darkly at the mention of the man who had taken Tino. _

_ "Not many people know this outside the Empire, but Emperor Yao Wang has 4 personal commanders he trust above all others as his own inner circle. One is Tao. He handles assassination, information, and espionage. Then there is Im Yong Soo. Black magic is his specialty. Mei Xiao, the only woman, but I don't know very much about her or what her role is. And lastly Honda Kiku, he's been with Emperor Wang the longest, and the katana he carries isn't just for show. If you value your lives, don't come across them, except for the one you seek."_

_ King Arthur nodded, signaling his Royal Knights to take Berwald, Matthias, and Natalya away. "Wait," he paused thinking better of it. "There's one more thing I require from them." Natalya raised an eyebrow. The king glanced back at Eli, Alfred, and Gilbert. _

_ "What are you talking about!? You can't come with us, you're the king!" Alfred waved his arms in frustration. The secret passage under the castle they were in was creeping him it opened into a large imposing dark chamber, with a strange circle with patterns drawn in salt on the floor, and beakers bubbling with strange liquids on the table._

_ "Your Majesty? What is all this?" Eli asked nervously._

_ "The answer to the problem of me coming on the journey. Put these on." King Arthur tossed six black cloaks to his companions._

_ "What!? The Awesome me is not going to wear something so stu-mmph!" Eli shoved the black cloak partially into Gilbert's mouth while he pulled his own on. The_ _candles lining the floor suddenly flickered to life as King Arthur stepped into in. The lights were eerie green. The king placed his hands together and began chanting omniously in a language none of them recognized." _**_Me mea scinditur in duo Educ doppelganger me ex uno tenebris copias ego præcipio TIBI!" _**_The hair stood up on the back of their necks._ _King Arthur suddenly pulled apart his hands. There was a blinding flash of light. _

_ Alfred blearily blinked the spots in his vision away. His glasses slipped off his face."Holy..."_

_ "__**Mein Gott**__!" Gilbert was slack-jawed._

_ In the place of where King Arthur had been, there were now two bushy-browed, irritable blonde sorcerers._

_ "Right then. One of me stays behind to direct our troops for the counterattack, the other goes on to Reenson with you to rescue Matthew." The two King Arthurs said in unison. "And as for you three." One of the Arthurs pulled a knife from his pocket and gently cut a piece of hair from Matthias(amid his loud protests), Berwald, and Natalya. The locks of hair smoked into nothing as Arthur murmured another word they didn't know. A searing pain burned on each of the former mercenaries' wrists. _

_ "OW! What are you doing!?" Matthias pulled his hand back from the burning. He paled visibly. A black robin mark was there now, like a tattoo. _

_ The Arthurs shook their heads tiredly. "I hate those kind of spells." One of them said as the other said at the same moment. "You three are going to be our guides in Regnoc. Should you betray us, that mark will cause you immeasurable pain until I tell it to stop. I'm sorry, but I won't let you risk my Head Knight." Alfred looked up in surprise._

* * *

In the present, Natalya rubbed her black mark. Well, there was no chance she would betray them, too much she cared about was at stake to betray them. Matthias and Berwald however...they had been a trick to get to join with her.

"I can't believe we listened to her! Berwald, aren't we supposed to be powerful Nords!? The best mercenaries under Tao Kaoru!? She held me at knifepoint until I agreed!" Matthias growled unhappily to his partner who was pausing for a drink of water. Traveling through the southern forest of Regnoc sucked! But they had to cross through it to get to the ports on the southeastern coasts of Regnoc. There they would claim to be Drimad taders and pass through the sea to the lower regions of Reenson. Only suppliers from the Wang, and traders from Drimad (as the weak island nation was neutral in the ongoing war) were being allowed in or out. And now they had this damn curse mark stuck on them by that lousy piece of crap king!

"Y' may b', I'm n't..." Berwald muttered darkly. It had actually been easier for Natalya to get him to betray the Wang than she thought. Regnoc could help him get Tino back and King Arthur wouldn't kill Tino once Berwald was done in this rescue mission. The only reason Berwald had worked for Wang at all was to buy time for Tino until he could figure out a way to save him. Now that that way had come along he would take it. And make the son-of-a-bitch who took Tino pay _dearly_ for it.

_"Berwald! Help meeeee! Please! Please! HELP ME!" Tino was terrified, the numbing drugs taking effect._

_ "NO!" Berwald roared. But an icy knife froze Berwald in his tracks. Tao leaned down in his face, his expression unreadable, but his eyes cruel._

_ "So...do we kill him? Or will you obey us?"_

A low menacing snarl escaped Berwald and Matthias jumped a foot. He abruptly stopped talking. "There 'r b'tter ways to be great th'n t' w'rk f'r th' Wang..." Berwald muttered. Matthias froze...what? What could be greater than being a Nord? Matthias didn't know Berwald all that well, but he'd always thought the Wang were awesome, giving him a job, support, and a big reputation in exchange for taking down their enemies. He'd never given a thought to what other people thought of the Wang...After all, they'd rescued him from the streets as a child...

* * *

"~Ve! You're kind of _bella_!" Feliciano grinned brightly at Elizaveta.

"W-what?" Truth be told she'd taken a liking to Feli, but he was the most clueless person she'd ever met. It was endearing, in a way. He was completely without guile, like a child. So where had that compliment come from? He couldn't have figured it out! But then again, he'd never complimented 'Felina' that way...

"What are you talking about, Feli?" Gilbert asked as he sat down on a log, working a knot out of his shoulder. Phobos and Deimos glittered in their scabbards.

"His hair! Eli's hair is so long and pretty!" Elizaveta relaxed. So he was still clueless.

Gilbert glanced at Eli. "I guess so...it kind of makes you look girly, don't you think?"

"Not really." Elizaveta quickly responded, struggling to think of a way to change the subject.

Gil privately thought to himself that Feli, naive little priest that he was, was actually right for once. Eli's hair _was _pretty. Really pretty. For a moment, Gil wondered what it would be like to run his hand through it, and unknowingly blushed. He shook his head. _Where the hell did that come from? So unawesome! I must be more tired than I thought, all this traveling really takes it out of you..._Gilbert ignored the odd feeling in his chest and obstinately refused to believe anything else.

"Well, Feliciano why don't you go tell Felina her hair is pretty? I'm sure she'd love to hear that from you!" Elizaveta thought fast.

"~Ve, no way!"

"Huh? Why not?" Elizaveta raised her eyebrows in surprise. Gilbert suddenly laughed.

"He's sworn off complimenting girls! In fact it's why he's a priest! Lutz could tell you, it's kind of funny-" Gil's smile melted and he cut himself off, sadness overtaking his features. Along with the healer, they still had to _find _Lutz before he could be telling any stories.

Elizaveta obviously sensed the mood(something Feli obviously didn't), and asked quickly. "So what _is_ the story?"

"3 years ago, right after Lud became a Knight General, he and I met up with Gilbert and my own _fratello_ for a celebration. Everybody was there, and we had so much fun! But there were lots of girls, and my _fratello_ and I sinfully flirted with each and every one of them! We complimented them a bunch for no real reason. After the party, my _fratello_ and I were sort of wasted...Heheh," Feliciano sweat dropped.

" ...Gil and Lud carried us home, but they had to stop to get our horses. They laid us down, and in the few minutes they were gone lightning struck the ground next to us! It was so scaaaaaaaarrrrrryyyy! I thought we were going to be fried and blown away into little bits of dust! But instead, we were spared! God had spared us, instead warning us of our sinful flirting! So I became a priest to thank Him! I swore off flirting and now serve Him. The lightning left _Fratello_ and I with these static curls as a reminder." Feliciano gestured to the odd curl sticking out on the side of his head.

The auburn man suddenly looked sad. "But _Fratello_ still hasn't repented...ve..." Feli sighed.

Elizaveta sweat dropped. That was certainly an interesting story. Before she could comment on it, King Arthur interrupted them.

"All right you lot! Just over the hill there's some shelter we're going to spend the night at! Get a move on!"

"Hey! It's my job to order the troops because I'm the-"

"Yes, yes, we've all heard that before you git!"

It seemed the tension between the king and Captain Alfred still hadn't been resolved, and Alfred was still angry at King Arthur. Elizaveta still marveled at how childish the king acted in response to the captain. It was more like they were two children fighting in a schoolyard than a king of one of the world's most powerful countries and his Head Knight.

When the group hiked over the large hill of the forest, Elizaveta felt her heart drop down to her toes.

"Eli? You're pale, dude." Captain Alfred looked a bit concerned. She shook her head to let him know that she was all right. But on the inside she was _not_ all right. That one large building filled her with dread, although she didn't understand the feeling.

"These ruins are rumored to have been here since Regnoc was a part of Asgard. This area once hosted one of the major cities of the first civilizations of Asgard. We shouldn't go into them because they might collapse, but the base of them should serve as a windbreaker in the night." King Arthur started to hike down.

"Y-your Majesty?" Elizaveta asked weakly.

King Arthur worried briefly why Eli looked as though he were ill. "You all right there, lad? What is it?"

"What's that large building in the center of the ruins?" King Arthur glanced at the building in question.

"Oh, that? That's an old temple of worship. Impressive even today, isn't it?"

* * *

The feeling didn't leave Elizaveta alone for the rest of the night. "Why're you acting so jumpy?" Gilbert finally asked.

"I-I'm not sure, Gil. This place just gives me the creeps. I wish we'd never stopped here for the night!" Elizaveta rested her head on her knapsack and snuggled deeper into this blankets. Everyone else was preparing for sleep as well. Captain Alfred leaned against a tree and King Arthur was laying down nearby. Feliciano was _already_ asleep. Matthias grumpily sat up against a ruins wall, away from the group. Feliks and Toris shared a blanket(Elizaveta had learned that for Feliks, the worst part of pretending to be Toris' girlfriend is that whenever they had to share a bed, Toris kicked with the force of a Clydesdale. ) Everybody was going to nod off soon. And Elizaveta couldn't help but feel this left them wide open...

* * *

"Relax Eli, I got this! Me and Matthias are staying up for the first watch. I'll watch that sorry son-of-a-bitch Nord so he won't run off, and I'm too Awesome to let anything bad happen." Gilbert winked. Elizaveta blushed under her covers, wondering if the chill of the night was biting her cheeks. Although it took forever, despite her unease, the young girl-in-disguise fell asleep.

The crack of a twig woke her. Wearily she sat up straight and her gaze fell upon the source of the noise. "Feliciano? Feli?" With his white robes, there was no mistaking him. His back turned from her, he was walking quickly and quietly away from the group. "Gil, where is Feli going?" No reply. "Gilbert?" To her utter shock and outrage, both Gilbert and Matthias were _snoring_. Loudly. She wondered briefly how she hadn't been woken by that, or anyone else. Whatever, she'd kill that bonehead for it later.

She kicked off her covers, grabbed her skillet and tailed Feliciano. "Feliciano! Stop! Just where are you heading off to? Woah!" She almost ran smack into someone, but trusting her instincts, brought the pan straight down on his head.

"Ow! Like, what the hell!?" Feliks groaned, nursing a painful bump on his head.

Elizaveta gasped. "Oh my gosh, Feli-na! I'm so sorry! What are you doing up in the ruins?"

Feliks narrowed his eyes irritably. " I had to like, pee. Why are you attacking random people in the middle of the night? Like, where is Feliciano going?"

"I said I was sorry, I didn't know it was you! And that's what I'm trying to find out." Elizaveta gasped as she realized she'd lost sight of the little priest. They ran through the ruins, but skidded to a stop when they caught sight of Feliciano once more. Elizaveta gasped.

The priest looked back once, before entering the huge temple of worship. His eyes had been glowing blue.

* * *

Andras Hedervary carefully read the letter from Regnoc's king. A cruel smile played across his lips. "So...King Arthur needs allies for his counterattack in Reenson, does he? Well, we loyal Siensians will certainly support him, won't we? Think of all the prestige and power a victory over Reenson will bring to us if Regnoc wins?" He shivered with pleasure at the thought, and the other man in the room thinly veiled the disgust he had for his boss with a smile. "You know what to do General Ivan. Go meet with King Arthur." General Ivan Braginski turned to leave when Andras stopped him. "Oh and if you happen across my worthless wretch of a daughter, kindly return her to me, will you? _**Even if you have to drag her back by her hair**_." Andras' voice barely contained his rage.

Ivan smiled, violet eyes glittering. "_Da_."

* * *

A/N: Okay guys, that's it for chapter 8! Sorry for the long wait. Each and every one of your reviews makes me smile, and I love writing this story. Sorry about leaving Ludwig's side hanging, but I promise you you'll learn what's become of his group later. By the way, I plan to add one more cross-dresser character to this story along with Elizaveta and Feliks. Who would you like it to be? Finland maybe? Just let me know! More Feliks, Alfred and Arthur next chapter. And there might just be a little catfight between 'Felina' and Natalya as well ;D P.S. Andras Hedervary is my OC Magyar. According to Hetalia, Hungary has a male relative named Magyar.


	9. Chapter 9

**Multi POV**

"Feliciano! Feliciano!" Elizaveta's heart raced with fear. Those eyes...why were Feliciano's eyes like that? Feliks was holding up his skirts and was running alongside her.

"It's totally a pain to run in a skirt! How do you manage!?" Feliks panted.

"That's the idea! Women aren't supposed to run, so they don't wear clothes suited for it!" Elizaveta paused and peered through the dark entryway of the temple. Her feeling of dread was worsening. "Felina..."

They both eased to a walk as Elizaveta tore a piece of cloth from her tunic and lit it aflame on a torch. "Yeah?" He asked.

"What do you know about this place?"

"Not much. Just a little more than what King Arthur said. This city used to be the busiest city when Asgard was one, because it was the capital. And there are a lot of weird legends around this place because the Constellation Spirit supposedly lived here at one point."

"He did?" They were now walking down a long dusty corridor. She paused and stared at the hieroglyph paintings that decorated the wall. They were faded and ancient, but she could still make some of them out. Many had rune writing that King Arthur should've been able to read. One was a chilling picture of some sort beast. It was a humanoid, only with fangs, and had sparks flying off it. Elizaveta shivered.

"Feliciano! Like, answer us! This isn't funny!" Feliks' voice echoed in the darkness. They stopped at an imposing wall. It looked as though it hadn't been touched in years. "Did we take a wrong turn?" Feliks wondered.

"There was no other way we could've taken, and Feliciano isn't here. There must be some kind of trick..." Elizaveta began knocking on walls around them, listening for a hollow sound, and also feeling for switches.

"Pfft. Couldn't people have, like, made things simple hundreds of years ago?" Feliks muttered.

"Well, temples like this were places of sanctuary for refugees during war. They probably made it complicated in here for that reason. They didn't want invaders getting in."

"Or maybe fire demons." he commented sarcastically. Feliks crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. Which then gave way and he fell through as it flipped over, taking him with it.

"Felina!"

There was a muffled struggling and scrabbling sound.

"A LITTLE HELP!" Feliks screamed through the stone.

* * *

Alfred felt someone shaking his shoulder."Huh?" He reached for his glasses and yawned widely. Once they were on he blinked at the one who had woke him. "Artie? What're you doing up? Is it morning?"

"Oh yes, the moon and stars_ really_ make for a bright and cheerful morning. You git." Arthur replied sarcastically.

"Hey, no need to get pissy. Whaddya need?" Alfred looked around. "Hey, where's Feli?"

"That's exactly what I woke you up for. He's missing. As is Eli and Felina."

"What!? But Gilbert would've woken me-" Arthur cut him off and pointed at the albino. Who was snoring.

Irritation ran through Alfred. Swiftly, he marched over to Gilbert and uncorked his canteen.

"Splergh-! What the hell!?" Gilbert gargled, spitting the water that had fallen into his open mouth.

"Get up, Eli, Feli, and Felina are missing!" Alfred shouted to the rest of the group. They were rousing and blinking the sleep from their eyes at his cry.

"Split up and find them!" The Head Knight bellowed. Arthur caught him by the arm.

"Alfred," The king's eyes narrowed. "There's dark magic at work."

* * *

"Come on!" Elizaveta shoved against the wall, and it flipped once more. She ducked under, through the small opening, instead of letting it scoop her up and over into the next room. "Woah!" She clung to the wall. The floor was just inches wide enough for her to balance her feet on. A huge chasm opened below her.

"Maybe you wouldn't mind, oh I don't know, pulling me up before I fall to my freaking death!" Feliks' hands barely clung to the floor. The rest of him dangled over the chasm.

Elizaveta scooted over to him, and using one hand to cling to the wall, offered the other to her fellow crossdresser. He grabbed it and she pulled him up. "Too freaking close..." Feliks' legs shook a little.

"The floor must've crumbled away over here." Elizaveta clutched her torch, and spotted partially crumbled-but still mostly intact stairs. "Over there!" The two of them scooted along the wall carefully then sighed with relief when their boots touched the far more solid stairs. They descended for what seemed like hours when they finally reached the floor.

"Well, now we definitely know something isn't right with Feliciano, he's not coordinated enough to not fall down the stairs into the-into the- _river_?" Sure enough, a calm river flowed along the huge hallway they had come upon. Torches dancing with a bright flame cast light upon its waters.

Elizaveta felt nauseated at the sight of it. A wave of anxiety and terror hit her. She fell to her knees. "Hey you okay!?" Feliks asked worriedly.

"We need to find Feliciano and get the hell out of here _now_.'' The young girl's hands shook as she struggled back to her feet.

"Feliciano!"

"Feliciano! Come out!"

The pair continuously called for their friend but he was nowhere in sight but, the hall just seemed to stretch on forever.

Out of nowhere a horrible, foul odor assaulted the crossdressers' sense of smell.

Elizaveta gagged, Feliks' hand covered his nose. "What_ is_ that!?" Elizaveta croaked. She quickly got here answer. "Oh, crap..."She gasped. There were two huge brass alms bowls, each the size of a small table. Elizaveta remembered that in ancient times these bowls were filled with incense and offerings, burnt to please the spirits of nature. However, instead of incense, two oozing blackened carcasses burnt in the bowls. She wasn't able to, or wanted to, recognize what the carcasses were from.

"What-what put these here?" Feliks was backed as far away as possible from the gruesome offerings. Instead of answering she suppressed a cry of shock when she looked over the edge of the banister in front of them. Below them, there were so many dark figures in black garb, not unlike that of the one who had tried to assassinate Toris back in Siensia. There were at least 200, standing around in a sort of auditorium-like floor below. In the center stood a particularly tall one, and standing beside him, was the only person present in white robes. Feliciano.

"HEY-! Mmph!" Elizaveta clapped her hand over Feliks' mouth.

"Shut up!" She hissed.

They leaned forward and listened to the tall figure below. "My brothers and sisters! Away with this disguise! SHOW YOUR TRUE SELVES!" At this the crowd of black clad figure starting tearing off their cloaks and shrieked all the while. Unearthly screams, the kind that made your blood chill. Elizaveta clutched the banister in sheer terror. With the robes gone, those below them were revealed not to be human. Not at all. Many had tails, some didn't. Some horrible red, others sickly pea green or mottled dark blue. Many had sickening scabby scars covering their naked backs and grotesque faces._ All_ of them had several sets of fangs, like a shark. _All_ of them had eerie eyes that glowed yellow. And _all_ of them had a swell of bloodlust radiating off of them. Oddly enough, most avoided the small lake in the auditorium that the river above flowed from. Water was pumped from the pipes below into the river above that streamed throughout the rest of the building.

_WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE!?_ Elizaveta wanted to scream out. They were demons- **_fire_****_demons_**, straight out of legends.

The tall one seemed to be in charge. He had four horns, horribly sharp, and was thin and lean. He constantly moved in a sickening fashion, similar to a snake's slithering. He had scales that shone black. The tall demon smiled cruely and leaned down to Feliciano. The young man was obviously unaware of what was happening. His eyes were still eerie glowing blue, his expression blank. The demon ran a claw under Feliciano's chin, before he straightened back to his full height.

"Brothers! Sisters! We gather here in the homeland of the disgusting wretch that thwarted us all those centuries ago!" Many boos and hisses came from the mob, and much shoving and shrieks ensued. For a moment it seemed full chaos would break out.

"SILENCE," The crowd calmed slightly. "Yes, we are in the wretch's home, but this time to CELEBRATE! Our great king's reign-KYRON'S REIGN!"

A surge of 'Kyron's reign! Kyron's reign!' rose up. "Before we join our king in conquering these pathetic lands- let us feast! Feast on the heart of the purest soul that has been led into our domain since the ages of our sealing!" The crowd cheered. Elizaveta's eyes widened in realization. No, no- they couldn't-!

Feliks was already racing down the stairs leading to the auditorium below. Elizaveta chased after him as fast as her legs could carry her. All the while, Feliks was drawing his daggers from his skirt's pockets and silently fuming. _Why_-of all the crappy ruins they had to camp out by-_why_ did it have to be the one with the nest of demons!? Demons that weren't even supposed to exist!

Elizaveta brained several demons, and Feliks stabbed many, several of them wailing with rage. They fought and dodged to the center of the room. Feliciano had dropped like a puppet with strings cut when the tall demon had been distracted by the chaos they caused, but now the demon's eyes flicked back to him.

"FELICIANO!" Elizaveta screamed. He was unconscious, and that monster had his claws poised over his heart! "NO!" She skidded, dropped to a crouch as she slid, and grabbed Feli around the waist, dragging him with her out of harm's way.

* * *

Suddenly, everything went white. Then black. Her lungs were being constricted, and her hands grasped madly for something that could save her. Any second she would run out of breath! The water was too deep and she was losing too much blood! Her arms and legs couldn't move properly. _I'm sorry, Daniel...I'm sorry, Adler..._

A silver light sparked above Elizaveta. What? **_Sweet child, do you wish to continue on for your loved ones? _**A woman's kind voice asked her.

_Yes!_ _Please! I love Asgard! I'll do anything! _At this point, Elizaveta- or whoever this person was that Elizaveta thought _she_ was(this was way too confusing), no longer questioned the situation they were in or who could possibly be speaking to them.

* * *

The light faded and Elizaveta gasped. She was still clutching Feli, whose eyes were shut. Wicked sharp claws came down upon her head. She yanked up her frying pan. Her arms trembled, one from adrenaline, clutching Feliciano, the other from the weight of the demon's blow. Oh, why hadn't she brought her sword!? What kind of idiot was she!? The demon whispered down at her. "Maybe we'll devour your hearts after the pure one's." He hungrily gazed at her friend. Fury filled her until she was tingling with it. There was _no way_ he was touching Feliciano. Or Feliks. _There was no way in hell he was __**ever**__ going to hurt her friends!_

_"SCREW THE SWORD!"_ Elizaveta drove her frying pan with all her might into his gut. She heard several ribs crack and he coughed blood. The look of shock never left his face. She dropped the pan and kicked her foot into the side of the demon barreling toward her from behind. Elizaveta heard more bones crack. She knew her own bones and muscles would be screaming in pain later, but for now adrenaline numbed all of it.

Feliks suddenly stopped stabbing his daggers into demons' stomachs but instead got a brilliant idea. He swung up his arm in a ring, releasing a flurry of daggers from his hand, which imbedded in several of his attackers. He now found himself backed against Elizaveta. They were both breathing heavily. Elizaveta's knuckles had broken from breaking the demons' jaws. "T-that's Natalya's move. How'd you learn that?" she panted.

"Like, I totally saw her do it once and copied her. Did I mention I have a like, photographic memory?" Feliks asked smugly. Try as they might they had to escape- they couldn't keep this up forever. Feliciano was draped on the floor, protected on either side by one of them. He hadn't stirred yet, and Elizaveta feared that whatever spell the demons had put on him was affecting him badly.

_"__**Torrent y Tempest**__." _A voice resonated. The lake of water swept upward into a water spout of hurricanes. The crashing wave came down at them. "Felina!" Elizaveta grabbed for his arm and clutched Feli to her tightly. Nonono! This was so much like-that dream- or whatever it was! She couldn't breathe! Everything was dark! Elizaveta's friends were limp in her grip. Something hard and firm latched onto her shoulder and she struggled desperately.

"Hey! Is that anyway to greet a hero?" Elizaveta was slack-jawed stunned. A hand past over her eyes and suddenly she could see clearly, even if things were still dark. Her captain was holding on to her, grinning like he swam through random temple torrents that had swept up bloodthirsty demons everyday. "It's okay! You can talk now! Artie's magic can be useful sometimes!" He cried, seemingly having no trouble breathing or speaking clearly in the flood. A stormy flood that was quickly filling the entire temple!

"Enough showing off!" King Arthur had his hands splayed in front of him, brow furrowed in concentration.

"Me!? Look who's talking!"

"I'm not doing this for my own enjoyment! This was the quickest solution for an epidemic of fire demons-blast them all! Alfred, you know how I'm going to be shortly after this." How he's going to be? Elizaveta wondered what His Majesty meant by this, but his expression was one of displeasure.

"All right then Artie! Let a rip! We'll find out what all this demon party meant after we meet with the others!" Alfred cackled. Arthur sighed. His eyes then flashed white, and the torrent went even more wild, the unconscious or flailing demons swirling around them. Elizaveta and the rest of the group were suddenly swirling as well. They all shot upward, headed straight up towards the ceiling! They were going to hit-! Elizaveta braced herself for impact.

But it never happened. The current of water was so strong the stone ceiling broke into pieces and they flew through the air after being shot up from the temple like a geyser's spray. Demons shot miles and miles away into the uninhabited forest. And the small group themselves landed softly in the cushion of bushes.

* * *

"Don't worry. It was just a weaker hypnotism spell. It's best to let him sleep it off." Arthur gently placed Feliciano's head back down after examining him. Elizaveta breathed a sigh of relief. Her back was to the rest of the group, she'd sort of collapsed there after they landed on the bushes. Still getting over the shock of what they'd seen, Elizaveta couldn't quite move yet.

"HAHAHA!Way to go! Me and my sidekicks really kicked those monsters' asses!" Alfred gave the thumbs-up and his teeth sparkled. Arthur facepalmed.

"Well, we'd best get the others. They've been searching too and must be worried." Arthur began to stand.

"Oh, no! Wait Your Majesty! We'll get them-you already saved our lives! It's the least we can do- and-and!" Arthur raised a hand, silencing her.

"Enough. It's no trouble. And please, I'm not a king right now, I'm simply a sorcerer traveling with a group of good companions. So don't address me as such. Call me Arthur. Besides, we're friends, so I think letting the formalities drop is fine." Did...did His-Arthur, really think of her as a friend? He really was so different from any other ruler she'd met. She smiled warmly as he and Alfred left. But a frightening question touched her. If he knew she was a girl...would he still call her friend, or send her back to her pompous fiancé? But then again, he kept company with someone as odd as Alfred...so maybe...

Feliks sat down on a log beside her. "What a totally sucky night." He groaned and rubbed his neck, only barely remembering to cross his ankles like a girl. He missed wearing pants...He stared for a minute at Elizaveta before his expression morphed to one of terror.

"E-Eli! Y-your-!" Feliks' face was tomato red and his hand shook as he pointed at her. _My what? _Elizaveta looked down. She let out a gasp. Her chest-! Her cleavage was _very _apparent, the bindings had been loosened by the water, they were only peeling away now that they were in the dry air! The effect could get her discovered! She crossed her arms over her chest! She couldn't be seen like this! They could hear their companions coming towards them, only inches away.

"Gilbert and the others!" Elizaveta gasped. She was frantic, on the verge of panic. But Feliks had an idea that would likely save her, but would be horribly embarrassing at the same time.

_Someone please kill me. I can't believe I'm doing this. _He thought as he carried out his mad idea.

"Wha-?" The question was cut off as Feliks lips sealed against hers. Her heart rate went through the roof. Feliks threw his arms around her, pulling her close against him, hiding her secret. Just in time for their comrades to walk through the shrubbery. And that's how they were found, in an embrace, lips sealed against each others, water appearing to be sweat.

"Hey dude, dudette, we brought every- Oh." Alfred raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Didn't see that one coming."

Arthur gasped. "Such indiscretion! You two! What are you thinking!?" He looked a little aghast at what one of his Royal Army's knights appeared to be up to. Matthias chucked and wolf-whistled at them both. Berwald watched them with curious eyes, but didn't comment.

And last but not least, Gilbert, Toris, and Natalya appeared, taking up the rear.

Toris felt as though his brain was short circuiting. The only thought he could form of his best friend, over and over was this: _Feliks is kissing a guy, Feliks is kissing a guy, Feliks is kissing a guy, Feliks is kissing a guy, Feliks is kissing a guy..._ All along-had Feliks actually _liked_ wearing dresses!? Oh, he felt a stomachache coming on.

Natalya's fingers inched towards her knives, cold fury tingling all inside her. _How __**dare**__ she!? She's being unfaithful! How __**dare **__she betray Toris like this!? _And then the moment passed, and a sudden idea came upon her. _Wait, this means...Toris is single! TORIS IS SINGLE! _Natalya's eyes flicked to her beloved. _Marrymemarrymemarrymemarryme..._she'd get him later, but first she had to deal with Felina. Oh, there would be _hell_ to pay for this betrayal. She felt giddy and incensed at the same time.

Gilbert for some reason felt an anger, and a sort of weak sickness shooting through him. _W-why am I so pissed!? _He snapped out of it for a moment. "Eli! ELI! M-making a move on a t-taken girl? So unawesome..."_Why am I so out of it!? _If he could name the sum of his feelings at the moment, he would be even more shocked than he already was. But due to being such a chick-magnet back home, he was used to_ causing_ jealousy-not _feeling_ it. He glared darkly at Felina. He'd never liked that whiny little clueless ditz! But why was he so mad!?

So, as the night of demons screaming for human hearts, troubling visions, and a near drowning experience(in more than one way) came to a close, Feliks was oblivious to the fact that three of his group now wanted to murder him-mostly for situations he didn't want to even be in.

* * *

"Oh, what a cute little boy! Heading to Drimad for the trade business? Are you sure you'll be all right all alone?" The blonde-haired green-eyed child forced a smile at the elderly woman.

"I'm sure. Thank you for telling me where the port is, ma'am." The child replied.

"What good manners! Anytime dearie, anytime! But watch yourself, those horrible Wang soldiers are all over Reenson. Don't go there for anything!"

"I know ma'am. Good day."

As the child's boots clicked against the ground, their hand reached into their pocket and absentmindedly rubbed a violet ribbon there.

_Big brother..._

* * *

A/N:I won't be able to update any of my fics for 10 days, I'm leaving on a short vacation for the 4th of July. :) All of you guys have a good 4th of July (that is, if you celebrate it)and I'll be updating again when I get back. See you guys then! Thanks for all your lovely reviews! :D


	10. Chapter 10

**Toris' POV**

There were very few reasons a man would kiss another man. Currently, I was trying to figure out why my best friend-who I had always thought liked women- had kissed Eli. I mean, sure, Eli _did_ look a bit girlish with those big eyes and long hair of his, but he was still a _man_.

I squirmed a little and risked a glance at Feliks, who was walking next to me on the trail. We hadn't discussed the _uh_, kissing incident, in the forest. None of our group had. I guess it was just too awkward, and the others assumed a supposed affair would be handled by the three involved. But I had been too nervous to even ask Feliks yet, and he hadn't volunteered any information. Neither had Eli.

On the bright side we had finally gotten out of that dreaded forest. That encounter with the demons had greatly unsettled all of us, and the tension surrounding us could be cut with a knife. And according to what Eli had told us, the demons had wanted to eat Feliciano in preparation of something called 'Kyron's Reign'. I didn't know what that could possibly be, but my skin broke out in shiver-flesh whenever I contemplated it. I sighed. What a coward I was. It was ironic how I was afraid of pretty much everything all while I kept company with so many brave souls. Hell, Alfred wouldn't be afraid! He'd beat whatever had him worried senseless.

His Majesty too! Just a few days ago he had walked calmly into a throng of demons, magic blazing, without even batting an eyelash. He really was so regal and calm, even when not in the face of danger. Meanwhile, I was just a twitching, weak, ambassador, not even able to talk to my best friend about- about whatever happened back there. Shame and anger at myself welled up inside me. Why was I so afraid!? This didn't change anything between Feliks and me! And yet I couldn't say anything!

Speak of the devil, Feliks tapped on my shoulder making me jump. "Toris? I, um, like have to tell you something about Eli and me." I froze. I didn't even know _what_ to think of Eli. Did he think Feliks really was 'Felina' and had fallen for 'her'? Or had Feliks told him the truth and it turned out he liked men?

I straightened my shoulders, sick of being too weak to say anything. I gathered my shame into any feelings of courage I could muster. This one small time, I would man up. "Feliks!" I grasped my best friend's hands, suddenly interrupting him. He halted in surprise.

"I don't care if you _do_ like men! You're my best friend and nothing will ever change that! I-I-I don't even c-care if you want a relationship with Eli!" I declared my feelings in a low voice, face flushed. Feliks' jaw dropped, and his face turned red. For a moment he tried to sputter a response but then his mouth clamped shut. Then, stumbling a little in his high heels, Feliks walked off in a daze, too stunned to respond.

I blinked as he walked away. "He must be too overcome with emotion to speak..."

"Still dealing with your breakup?" A cold voice asked suddenly. My heart skipped a beat as I recognized it.

"Oh! H-hello Miss Natalya!" I stuttered quickly. She gazed back at me, her platinum blonde hair held securely with her bow. I suddenly realized she'd asked me a question. "W-well, sort of. It's a bit complicated."

Miss Natalya's eyes narrowed. "No. You two are done." It was a statement, not a question.

"Huh?"

"As I said, Toris, you two are done. That-that girl is not worth it. You should be with somebody else." Her voice was filled with venom. Something dawned on me and a smile warmed my face.

"What?" Miss Natalya asked.

"That's the first time you've ever said my name!" I cried. Hehe, maybe she was starting warming up to me! Just a little? A look of surprise crossed her face, before she nodded curtly.

"Were you two...intending to marry?" Miss Natalya asked quietly. What? Why would she be asking something like that!? My face flushed red.

"Uh, it never really came up. W-we weren't really ready to talk about that. I mean- Felina's not really that kind of-well it's not- ugh!" It wasn't as though I could tell her of course we weren't planning to get married, that Feliks was really just my best friend and that I certainly didn't feel for him like that, or that he was a boy for that matter(And that he actually liked one of the men among us...)! It didn't help that I couldn't think straight thanks to her question. J-just that she asked me something like that made my heart do jumping jacks. The thought of marriage when I was right next to Miss Natalya-Oh wow. Whoever ended up with her would be a _very_ lucky man! W-wait, I shouldn't be thinking things like that!

Miss Natalya obviously took notice of my spacing out. "I apologize. I asked too much."

''N-no! Not at all! You can ask me anything anytime! I mean- I trust you- I don't mind telling you that sort of thing!" My heart pounded so loud I wondered if she could hear it. Suddenly she was much closer to me, so much so that our noses were almost touching. I swallowed noisily. "Did you mean it...?" Natalya demanded.

"What?"

"Did you mean it!?" Natalya cried, this time seemingly angry.

"W-what did I mean, Miss Natalya?"

"That you'd help me! That we'd find out my past together!" I was shocked by her question. Of course I would help her! Not knowing was obviously causing her terrible pain, and it was now etched on her face. My heart ached for her.

"Yes. After we rescue Matthew I'll do whatever it takes to find your past. I would do it now if I could! But right now King Arthur needs our help and so does Matthew, and the minute our mission is complete, I promise I will do whatever it takes to find your memories!"

Her dark eyes stared back into mine, as though searching for lies. There were none.

"Felina does not deserve you." The tension broke as Miss Natalya repeated this. Her anger was still there, but a different kind, hard as rock, instead of tremulous and fragile.

"You're not angry at Felina, are you?" I asked worriedly. I wouldn't understand why though, Miss Natalya had no reason to be.

"Yes." The young girl stated darkly.

"Why?" I asked.

Miss Natalya started walking quickly ahead of me to catch up with the rest of the group. I heard it though, her answer as she passed me.

"You." Her voice, soft as silk, lingered for a moment.

* * *

_Me? _My head ached as I tried to puzzle through what Miss Natalya meant. It just didn't make any sense.

"Hey! We're here!" I blinked out of my stupor at Alfred's voice. Above the trees and forest path I spotted the ocean line.

"Yay! Gil, we finally made it!" Feliciano jumped up and down happily. Gilbert shot him a grin, but cast a more serious gaze at the ports ahead of us. What was that about? He'd seemed very uncharacteristically quiet ever since we'd gotten out of the forest.

But then again, maybe it wasn't just him. King Arthur hadn't been himself either I'd noticed. His face had become pale and he walked as though he was balancing himself. Alfred stayed close to him, but didn't seemed worried, which was a mystery in itself.

"Maybe there's seafood pasta Feli." Eli ruffled Feliciano's hair affectionately.

''I'm sorry Feliciano, but I'm afraid we don't have time for a meal. A friend of mine has offered to take us from the coast to Reenson. We're leaving tonight, and we must be sure to thank him, he's risking a lot for us." His Majesty looked quite anxious to make it to the ships in the ports.

"Ve..."Feliciano's smile faded.

"Oh man, _that_ guy? Come on, Artie! He hates me!" Alfred looked dismayed at the mention of His Majesty's 'friend'.

"Perhaps you have a better idea? _Alfred._'' King Arthur glared at Alfred, but a kind of understanding seemed to pass between them both.

"Fine." Alfred straightened his armbands and looked away.

* * *

"Aw come on! You didn't tell me you were bringing him along! He's nothing but a _puta grande_!" That was the greeting we received from King Arthur's friend, as he pointed an accusatory finger at Alfred.

"Like I wanted to come! I'm only using your crapsack little boat to get to my little brother! You freakin' pansy!" Alfred shot back, and I could've sworn sparks flashed between their eyes.

"Now, now! We all want to help Matthew here, so stow the arguments until we get to shore, _all right_!?" King Arthur's stern tone was electrifying. Both stiffened and sighed, glaring in opposite direction.

King Arthur cleared his throat. "Ahem." He gestured to the captain of the ship _La_ S_oltera __Deslumbrante. _"This is Captain Carlos Machado, he'll be voyaging us to Reenson's only open port, he's a Drimad native, and a good friend of Matthew's and has offered to give us a lift." Carlos had tan skin, and wore a bright floral tunic. He was a stocky fellow, and blew cigar smoke away from us as he shook each of our hands.

"Nice to meet you. _Mucho gusto. _You're all friends of Matthew are you? Great guy, unlike the idiot here!" Carlos grinned cheekily at Alfred, who silently fumed as the big man shook hands with each of us. "We'll be leaving soon, but feel free to check out the surrounding shops while my crew sets up, just don't stray too far."

We took off in twos and threes, but King Arthur and Alfred(oddly enough) stayed behind. I glimpsed His Majesty clutching Alfred's arm for support as they went into the ship and my worry intensified. I walked along with Eli, Gilbert, and Feliciano as we looked about the fancy ships in the port, and paused for a snack at a tomato restaurant. We ate outside, at stone tables. In Clorence, tomatoes were something exotic, rarely eaten, but I personally didn't have a preference for them anyway. Feli, on the other hand, immensely enjoyed his. It was cut to look like a rose and placed on a stick, which he devoured making happy sounds.

"Haha, enjoying that aren't you Feli?" Eli smiled at him from around his own tomato, while Gilbert picked at his.

"Ooh, he's so cute!"

"Aw!"

"Look at him!" I looked up in surprise at a couple of waitresses cooing and pointing at Feliciano. Feliciano stiffened and hid under the table.

"Feliciano?" I stared down at him in surprise.

"I shouldn't flirt." Is all he replied.

Suddenly Gilbert got a wicked grin on his face, for the first time in days. "Don't worry Feli, I'll take care of this." The albino leaned back in his seat and blew a kiss in the direction of the women. Several of them blushed or shrieked in happiness. Eli rolled his eyes in disgust.

"You've really got them around your little finger don't you? Must think a lot of yourself having a ton of girls falling over themselves for a kiss from you." He commented snidely.

Gilbert suddenly scowled at his friend. "You're one to talk! Slobbering all over Toris' girlfriend! You shouldn't be dating her! That's so uncool!"

Uh-oh. They'd both evidently forgotten I was here. That was never a good thing. Both stared back at each other, anger in their eyes.

"Yeah? I can do whatever I want you 2nd rate trinket chaser!" Eli had gotten to his feet.

"What!? Says the ninny warrior wannabe!" Gilbert rose as well.

"Skirt-chaser! You're just like every other conceited creep!" That comment made Gilbert even more furious, leaning over the table and grabbing Eli by the shirt.

"At least I don't betray my friends!" Gilbert hissed. Eli's expression wavered for a split second, then he shoved Gilbert's hand away and slumped back into his seat. Gilbert sat back down as well. The silence following was tense. Feliciano popped back up from under the table, his tomato eaten and a sad expression on his face. What had just happened? I coughed quietly. All three looked back at me.

"We should, uh, go back before it gets too late."

* * *

I stumbled along the ship's wooden planks floor and struggled not to sprawl across the hall. One of the crewmen had pointed me in the direction of my quarters, which I would be sharing with Feliks. Everybody had a roommate, and all of our quarters were grouped in the same area of the ship. Was this it? The door was slightly cracked, and I heard voices.

"_Please_ Eli! I've got to tell him! _He said it's okay that I like men_! What does that tell you!?" Feliks' voice, slightly hysterical.

"I don't know..."Eli's voice, skeptical and unsure. I shook my head. I already told him it was okay! Enough with this nonsense. I pushed the door opened, and very unlike myself, barged in.

"I was serious when I told Feliks I'm fine with your relationship! Eli, you two don't have to hide it! It's not an issue! Although...you might want to keep it quiet around other people. Who knows how they might react..." Eli looked dumbstruck.

Feliks shot him a desperate look. "See?" He asked helplessly. I walked back into the hallway, aiming for the next door over, this one shut, so I assumed it was mine.

"Hello?" I called cautiously. I was met with giggling. _Huh?_

"Hullo Flying Mint Bunny! It's wonderful to see you again!" _HUH? _I peeked out from behind the door. There in one of the hammocks King Arthur lay, his face flushed and feverish, and laughing to himself. My concern was increasing on so many levels.

"I hate it when you get magic-drunk..." Alfred muttered, his back to me, and placed a wet cloth on His Majesty's forehead.

"Oohoh...Alfred leave Mister Leprechaun alone! Heshanot dooing anything!" King Arthur's speech had become more slurred, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked dazed.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Alfred sighed. Thinking that maybe I had seen something I shouldn't have, and that it was prudent to leave I started to pull the door shut. Alfred's head shot up at the sound of it creaking. "HEY!" He cried, his voice hard and frightening the way it only was in battle. I gulped and opened the door again, letting him see me.

"Toris?" His shoulders relaxed. Then a sheepish look came upon his face. I closed the door behind me. "Oh, um...you saw this?" Al asked weakly. I squeaked a 'yes'.

"Um, is he...all right? What happened to him?" I took note that King Arthur had slipped into sleep now. Alfred looked tired and adjusted his glasses on his face.

"He's...magic drunk. He always gets like this." Al muttered. Magic drunk?

"What does that mean?" I asked worriedly.

"This is Artie's weakest state Toris. You can't tell _anyone_. If the wrong person found out, it could be a complete disaster!" Alfred walked up to me and grasped me firmly by the shoulders.

"Most people don't know this, but any warlock or sorcerer as powerful as Artie has to deal with repercussions for large spells. The strain of large magic on the body can be terrible. That torrent spell he used to save Eli, Felina, and Feli? This is the cost for that." He continued on. I felt a chill come over me. So even someone like King Arthur...had weak spots. The man giggling like he was a drunkard just minutes before was really a great authority, but every time he used large magic this happened to him? How awful.

"I'm the Head Knight of the Royal Guard Knights. It's my job to protect him Toris. I've seen him in worse states than this, deathly sick and incoherent. Why do you think a man like him would even need guards? Well, this is the reason. You're my friend Toris, but don't think for a moment I won't beat you black and blue for blabbing! Don't tell anyone, I mean it dude!" Alfred's blue eyes burned fiercely.

I swallowed loudly. "I won't. I swear." I nodded. Alfred then smiled at me, and slapped me on the back.

"Thanks, but hey, there's some stuff we need to go over before we go out to sea."

* * *

_"All right guys! Listen to the hero!" Alfred slammed his hand against the table, making us jump. "Once we get to Reenson, act natural! Carlos," Here Alfred rolled his eyes irritably. "will have fake Drimad identification for each of us. "Once we get into the country, we track down Tao Kaoru. He'll know where Mattie is, probably in a prison camp. If we can, we'll take Tao as our prisoner and take him back to Regnoc along with us and my brother. We'll get out before the counterattack of Regnoc and our allies. Clorence is backing us, but guess what? Artie's other self told him(in some kind of weird telepathic link) that a 'General Ivan Braginski' from Siensia is bringing his forces to fight." Eli gasped when he said this, probably because he was from Siensia and General Ivan must've been well-known there._

_"I'll probably go right back to fighting the Wang once Mattie's home safe and sound. But dudes, we have to be careful!" Alfred folded his arms over his chest in a militaristic pose. "The Wang Empire is merciless, and their leader is insane. They enslaved the country of Baaz. The island nations are on their knees because of them. They burnt all of Espron to the ground and murdered its entire Royal family! Even the little prince and his sisters-the princesses. They were just kids! Remember that, and never let your guard down!"_

I'd was thinking on Alfred's words earlier that day, before we'd set out to sea. Even though I was suppose to be asleep in my quarters, I'd been restless and had come up on deck. It was frightening, there was definitely going to be bloodshed and war. Even if I was just on a rescue mission and wouldn't be directly involved with the battles later on, if my country lost, my people would pay terribly for it! My stomach was twisted up in knots just thinking about it.

"Toris." I smiled faintly. She had a knack for sneaking up on me.

"Hello Miss Natalya, what are you doing up?" She stared at me grimly, and placed her arms on the side of the ship's railing beside me.

"I heard you get up. Are you worried?" I smiled at her.

"Actually, I'm terrified." I admitted quietly. "My country's going to be at war soon, and we're barging into a country occupied by enemies who can tear me apart if they want." I bowed my head. "But no one else is afraid, I guess it just goes to show how weak I am."

"No. You're wrong." Miss Natalya's response made me stare at her in shock.

"You are stronger than you think. It takes strength to admit your fear, and it takes courage to help a friend in danger." She turned and leaned her back against the railing, staring up at the bright stars above us.

"I also owe you the biggest thank you of my life." Miss Natalya murmured.

"What? What're you talking about?" I took my arms off the railing. Her beautiful dark eyes stared into mine, and my heart was going into overdrive again. Every time I was around her it did.

"You were the first person ever kind to me. You helped me with a simple warm smile when I tried to kill you and your friends. You have know idea how much that means to me, and I thank you so much for it." She faced me.

"Thank you so much." She repeated Miss Natalya's expression didn't change, but I thought her eyes seemed a little happier than usual. It made me glad, and I rubbed the back of my head, blushing happily.

"I'm sure you're exaggerating, I mean...I didn't do much...really."

"Wrong, again. As kind as you are, you don't catch on very quickly." I frowned in embarrassment. Miss Natalya casually flicked the neck of her robe away a bit, revealing her neck more. "When I was a child I was beaten again and again at the orphanage I lived in. My scars cross over my other scars." My heart dropped when I saw the crisscross of cuts along her shoulders. I felt numb.

"That place was terrible, on the outskirts of Baaz before it was conquered. I saw many children my age die from illness, and the so-called caretakers refused to purchase food or medicine for us. It infuriated me. So one day, when I was 10, I stole the lash used on me so often and took revenge on the caretakers. Now _they_ carry scars. But I was thrown into the street, which was really better than the orphanage now that I reflect on it. I was taken in by a gang of mercenaries. They taught me to fight, steal, kill, win at any cost. But never did I once see kindness or love. Never did I see it or give it to anyone." She took a breath and looked at me again.

"All the time I didn't know where I came from. Who my family might've been. My only memories were that from the age of 7 and older. Did they abandon me? Was I that worthless? Did they hate me? Was something wrong with me? I didn't know, but I believed it. Then the Wang offered to find me answers in exchange for delivering you to them. But you offered me the same thing, without a price. You didn't even ask me to help you with this mission, the king of Regnoc did. The only reason you helped a worthless girl like me, was because of your good heart..." Miss Natalya trailed off.

The dam broke on my feelings that had started rising since she began talking. I was enraged.

"NO!" I cried angrily, gripping the handrails. She started and looked at me in shock. "Those sorry bastards...beating you! Starving you! You didn't deserve any of that Natalya! You don't deserve to think of yourself as worthless! You're not! YOU'RE NOT! Natalya, you're a good person, who's been through a lot of pain. I will do anything to help you because I know you're NOT worthless! You're a good, kind, smart, graceful, young woman! And if I could, I'd find every person who hurt you and make them regret it! Natalya, I-!" I broke off suddenly, realizing how informal I was being.

"O-oh, Miss Natalya, I'm sorry. I shouldn't just call you just by your name, how rude. I-I apologize Miss Natalya." My breath caught in my throat. She'd leaned _very_ close to me. I couldn't think around her, as usual.

"Toris, you really are the most wonderful person I've ever met." A hint of a smile tugged at her lips. My brain seemed to stop working completely.

The next thing I knew, I was in my quarters, with the faint memory of bidding Miss Natalya a quick goodnight and sprinting down below the deck. Feliks rolled over in one of the hammocks and eyed me. He'd been snoring when I left. "What are you doing up? Secret rendezvous with your girlfriend?" He grinned at me smugly.

I quickly climbed into my own hammock. "Shut up Feliks! She's not my girlfriend anymore than you are!" I rolled over, trying to get comfortable. "Speaking of relationships, how are things between you and Eli?" Sudden footsteps alerted me to Feliks right beside me. I gazed up at him. He'd washed his makeup off and his hair was a mess. Instead of the normal pink nightdress he was wearing a lacy purple top and bottom pair of pajamas. He looked more like he did in Clorence before he'd been arrested than he had in a long time. His expression was one of extreme irritation.

He held up a finger in front of my face. "One: Eli isn't my boyfriend," He held up a second finger. "two: Eli does like men, but we are not in a relationship." My eyebrows raised in surprise. He raised third finger. "Three: Eli isn't a boy, she's a girl!"

"WHAT!?" I jerked up and fell face-flat on the floor. Feliks clapped a hand over my mouth. "Be quiet! You'll wake everyone!" He whispered.

"B-but, Eli's fighting! A-and, why isn't, agh,you know, her body more..." I clawed at my hair in frustration.

"Yeah, her best friend's brother taught her how to fight. She wears bindings over her chest to hide anything that would give her away. The other night in the forest, they came loose because of the water so I kissed her to hide anything that would give her away. And her real name's Elizaveta! I had to push a lot to get her to be okay with me telling you. She's been helping me hide my secret and vice-versa. You happy? Okay!? You understand I don't have a boyfriend or any other kind of relation like that!? And she wanted me to tell you that if you tell anyone she would personally keelhaul you, given that we're on a ship equipped for it!" His nostrils flared and he stomped back to his hammock and curled up in a ball, closing the discussion. Wow...he was really mad.

I laid out in my own hammock, stunned. Well...this certainly explained a lot.

* * *

The next few days were as ordinary as could be expected on the sea, given that I had two crossdressers on board the ship with me. I had to wonder if I was born under some kind of cursed star that caused so many strange things to happen to me. King Arthur had recovered, and was now greatly enjoying the seas, breathing in the salty air. Alfred was more relaxed now that his king was on his feet, but fought with Captain Carlos at every turn. Since their argument, Gilbert and Eli-Elizaveta hadn't been speaking like they normally would, and I worried about that. For the first few days following the revelation about Elizaveta I discovered I got terribly seasick, and Berwald gave me a remedy to settle my stomach. He muttered something about it being a gift from his wife. I wondered how someone as gentle as Berwald could end up as a mercenary, but I didn't ask. I also knew that despite his antics Matthias really wasn't a bad guy, not the kind I thought should be a mercenary either. He was just trying to fit in better with us I guess, although he often kept to himself. It seemed none of the former mercenaries on board should ever really be in that occupation. As for Miss Natalya, I now found myself too shy to speak to her.

One night however, it seemed the calm before the storm, the trip before the mission itself, would have a storm of its own. Literally.

_BANG BANG BANG_

The pounding on the door woke me from sound sleep.

"Hey! You in there! Get up! Major storm's brewin' and you'd better brace yourself!" The voice cut off. "Wait! Miss! You can't go up on deck!" That shook the drowsiness from me instantly. The only 'Miss' on this ship (At least that they knew about) other than 'Felina' was...

"Miss Natalya! Wait!" I threw off my blankets and burst through my door, chasing her up the stairs.

* * *

A/N: Poor Toris, he can never catch a break, can he? Sorry that Berwald, Matthias, and Feliciano had minor roles in this chapter. In the next one, believe me, they're going to be a LOT more involved! Can't wait for it! See you then! Thank you to all who reviewed! :D


	11. Chapter 11

**Multi POV**

"Miss Natalya!" Toris raced up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him. His heart was pounding uncontrollably, which wasn't soothed at all by the fact that the boat was rocking back and forth at a speed that was sending his stomach into reverse. _Just as soon as my stomach finally settled._ Toris thought as he struggled not to gag. He raced on to the deck, only to land face flat, because the deck was slick with the pouring rain.

"Ouch..." Toris sat up and was suddenly saw that virtually every crew member was working madly to pull the sails down and prepare the ship for the rough waves. Someone grabbed him under the arm and pulled him to his feet.

"Toris, what are you doing up here!?" Alfred cried, barely heard over the hurricane's wails. Berwald ran past them, his arms full of rope.

"I-I saw Miss Natalya run up here! Where is she?" Toris yelled. Someone screamed. They looked up and saw a seaman dangling from the Crow's Nest. Alfred started to run to climb the mast, but Natalya beat him to it.

"Miss! Get down from there!" Captain Machado yelled against the wind. Natalya scaled the mast furiously, as though she'd done it her entire life. She grabbed the man and pulled him to safety, only for the boat to tip _way _over, and she nearly fell out of the Nest herself. Then, the worst thing that could possibly happen in a situation like this happened. An arc of electricity shot down at the ship, _severing the mast_.

Toris heard someone scream again, but only realized later that it had been himself. While the crewman she'd rescued held on, Natalya _was _falling now! He shook Alfred off and ran at full speed. He caught Natalya in his arms, letting out a cry of pain from the sheer force. Unable to come to a stop, he rolled, holding her against him, before smashing his head against the ship's side. He vaguely realized that something warm and wet was rolling down his neck, and that pain on the back of his head was throbbing. Everything suddenly lost focus, and he passed down.

Natalya sat up in Toris' arms, and felt a chill of horror down her spine at the sight of her beloved's blood. _No no no! You can't die yet! You can't die ever! I won't let you! We haven't even gotten __**married **__yet! _She shook him, hopelessly trying to wake him, but he was out cold.

"Natalya! Get back down below, there are rocks ahead us, and it's about to get-OH HELL NO!" Alfred cried. The mammoth wave came down on them, pushing the ship beneath the waves, sweeping crew members away. Natalya clutched Toris tightly. The waves were dark and had now overtaken them both. She couldn't see anything. If she had been able to, she would've witness the ship being rammed sideways against the rocks, and the subsequent breaking apart of _La_ S_oltera Deslumbrante. _And as the ship smashed to pieces all the people inside were swept aside in the waves, lost from one another.

Natalya held Toris in her arms, feeling tears that were invisible in the water pricking at her eyes. _It can't be over yet. I haven't told you how I feel. I haven't told you I love you. _Toris' sweet face was barely visible in the dark waters, and she knew he was counting on her to save him. _All right! Enough whining!_ Her heart lit with fiery determination. Her head broke above the waters and she took several gasping breaths before another wave forced her under once more. She surfaced again, and caught sight of a plank of wood, broken off from the remains of the ship. Natalya held Toris with one arm, and swam to the plank with the other. She draped the young ambassador over the plank of wood and braced herself for another wall of water against the floating board.

* * *

"Artie! _Artie_! ARTHUUUURRRR!" Alfred yelled, eyes scanning the water for his king. There! Arthur was struggling against the shifting currents to get to him. "Hang on! I'm coming!" Alfred swam furiously, praying that the waves wouldn't hit them again. Wait. Who was that Arthur was holding on to?

* * *

"_Woah!"_ Elizaveta let out a cry when she realized who had pulled her onto the floating piece of ship with him. Berwald stared at her, and the chill on her arms wasn't just from the sea. "T-thanks." She sputtered.

"THIS. IS. SO. UNAWESOOOOMMMEE!" Gilbert choked on sea water as he went under then was hacking and coughing as he came up from the water once more. Elizaveta gasped.

"Gilbert! Over here!" Elizaveta cried desperately. The albino young man saw them.

"Eli! Ack, _nein_!" The waves reared up and swept him away and they were out of sight.

"No!" Elizaveta's eyes searched for him, till she spotted him again. "Berwald, help me get to him!" The pushed the board in the direction of Gilbert.

* * *

"Feliciano! Hang on!" It was at times like this that Feliks was glad he had worn the two piece pajamas. Trying to swim in a long skirt would be impossible. Of course, the same could be said for long priest robes, and Feliciano was struggling to say the least. He looked tearfully back at Feliks. "I-I wish Lud was here." Feliciano admitted.

* * *

_We will survive this night. We will survive this storm. We will __**survive. **_These thoughts rang in Natalya's head as she kicked against the waves, her iron will the only thing that gave Toris and herself even a ghost of a chance.

* * *

_Dawn. It's a beautiful thing to wake up to. The first glimpse of morning after a dark night. _Toris smiled pleasantly as he woke to these musings. The back of his head hurt, and for a moment he wondered why, but his eyes were still shut. He assumed he was laying in the ship's infirmary, and that maybe he had taken a tumble and knocked himself out. But, wait. His brow furrowed. The beds of the infirmary weren't sandy. And his body shouldn't feel cold, but it was, except for his hand. _Well, let's just find out what's going on. _

Toris' eyes cracked open, just enough to see. His eyes widened all the way open when he saw who he was staring at. Beside him, Natalya lay silent, her platinum hair all spread out on the sand. Her eyes were shut, but she was breathing heavily in her sleep. He smiled brightly. _And it seems she is my Dawn._ He wondered faintly why Miss Natalya was asleep beside him on a sandy beach, but for the moment he just wanted to savor it. His eyes drifted to his hand, and much to his surprise and happiness, her hand was intertwined with his, keeping it warm. Again, he wondered why he had woken up on a beach, hand-in-hand with the girl who was quickly becoming very special to him.

Then it came to him. The storm. Alfred. The lightning. Catching Miss Natalya and hitting his head. He sat up suddenly with a gasp of horror. He quickly let go of Natalya's hand and began to shake. W-was everyone-? He couldn't bring himself to say it, and the burst of pain that came with the shock had him gripping his head wound in agony. Natalya stirred and opened her eyes. She stared at him a moment, and he felt like hiding. What if she knew he'd been holding her hand? She'd never speak to him again! Besides...he shouldn't have even been holding her hand in the first place!Toris winced. Natalya sat up with a yawn.

"D-did we get swept off the ship? U-uh, a-are you all r-right, Miss Natalya?" Toris asked worriedly. She stretched and nodded. "W-we should probably try to find the others, they must be worried about us." Natalya got up and twisted her skirt, squeezing the water from it. "A-and maybe w-we can figure out a way to signal _La_ S_oltera Deslumbrante_? You know, so they can find us...?" Natalya began to walk away from him. "M-Miss Natalya?"

"The ship was destroyed. Help me find breakfast." She ordered.

Staring after her in stunned disbelief, he felt his heart drop. _Miss Natalya must not care what I have to say. I guess she **hasn't** warmed up to me. _Toris sighed disappointedly.

If only he knew that Natalya was madly in love with him, and she just didn't know how to show it.

* * *

"Agh, _finally_, we made it!" Arthur gasped as he collapsed against the shore. Alfred was dragging Matthias in from the water, looking quite bedraggled. When the king had spotted Matthias, he had rescued him from being swept away under the water. But that hadn't prevented a piece of metal from the ship making a nasty cut in the former Nord's leg. Alfred glanced around them.

"Thank heaven we found this *$#!ing island." He commented offhandedly, and examined Matthias' wound. The other man watched him suspiciously as he tore a piece of his cloak away.

"What're you-?" Matthias began to ask.

"Shut up." Alfred replied, and used the strip of cloth to tie around Matthias' leg. "There, that'll help stop the bleeding."

"How far off course do you suppose we've been taken? And how far away do you suppose the others are?" Arthur wondered aloud. Matthias rolled his eyes.

"What does it matter? They probably didn't survive the night, so there's no point looking for them." Alfred punched him on the shoulder, not in a friendly manner.

"_Shut up. _Don't you know that friends keep faith in each other!? I'm sure they made it through all right." Alfred growled at him. Matthias looked shocked as Alfred said this, and took note of the way Arthur was beginning to lean against the tree. The king looked exhausted and sat down tiredly.

"Artie, you okay?" The Head Knight quickly walked over to him, looking worried. He placed a hand against Arthur's forehead, despite his protests that he was fine. "Damn, fever, but not too bad. Better not strain yourself."

On the inside Arthur was privately raging at whatever otherworldly being had decided it would be fun to screw with them and cause that stupid storm. "Nonsense, I'm perfectly healthy! Now let go, you git!" The king pushed past him and headed down the shoreline. "I'll find some drinking water." He held out a hand, which began to glow a light blue. "You two set up camp." Arthur stormed off. He wasn't about to lay about like the stereotypical useless noble. No, sir!

Alfred watched after him with worried eyes. Matthias sighed. "He must pay you pretty well to look after him like an overprotective mother." Alfred glared at him.

"Even if it wasn't my job to look after him I _still_ would! Haven't you heard of caring for others? Read up on it, maybe you'll learn a thing or two." Matthias shook his head in disbelief. In his world, people did things for other people for power or money or in advantage. Being in the presence of people who did things just to help others was mind-boggling. But still...he looked down at his bandaged leg and felt a sudden pang. Still...could he ever care for someone like that? Or have someone care for him like that in return?

* * *

Now that Berwald, Eli, and Gilbert himself had set up a small lean-too on the banks of the shore, and seen what they had managed to save before they had paddled to this island when the storm had calmed(their weapons, some rations, and their packs of clothes), all that was left to do in the evening was start a fire. Which Eli had promptly taken care of, sparking an expensive looking flower clip he had against a piece of flint. All of them had agreed to come up with a plan tomorrow morning on what to do now. But that was the last thing they had said to each other, and it had been silent since then.

It was driving Gilbert insane, not talking to Eli, not laughing with his best friend like they normally would. Berwald wasn't a talker either, and that meant Gilbert had absolutely no one to speak to. On the ship, it had been a little easier not to talk to Eli after their argument. But then again, other people had been around. Add the uncomfortable silence with his worry and fear for Feli, his little _bruder_, and all his other friends and you had one stir-crazy albino. Now that he realized that his friends could very well still be out in the ocean, and that he should take care of them whenever he had the chance made Gilbert realize he should try to talk to Eli again, if possible.

Eli was putting that odd flower clip away in his pocket, now that the fire was started. Gilbert took a deep breath, looked to the heavens, and started towards his friend. He waited in front of him until Eli finally glared up at him.

"Eli...er, uh, thanks for saving my butt last night. Not like I really needed any help!" Gilbert laughed, but stopped when he saw Eli's glare worsen. "Okay...so maybe I needed a _little_ help. Anyway, thanks..." the young man rubbed the back of his head. He was clearly embarrassed. Eli's gaze softened.

"You're welcome Gilbert ,anytime. Besides I told you I would stay by your side right? I don't break my promises." Eli smiled at him, as Gilbert blushed at the reminder of the promise. It really did mean a lot to him that Eli had promised him that. Eli cleared his throat then continued on hurriedly. "And besides, I owe you an apology. I shouldn't have said you were a conceited creep. It's not true. You're so much more than that." Gilbert smiled a little. That comment had hurt a lot more than Eli had known. Everybody always thought that just because Gilbert knew he was Awesome that he thought he was better than everyone else, or that he didn't care about anyone. The opposite couldn't have been more true. It was good to know Eli hadn't meant it.

"It's just,"Eli paused "It's just that where I'm from a lot of guys really_ are_ conceited creeps, so I guess I'm just used to thinking that. But that still doesn't make it true or right. I'm really sorry."

Gilbert was shocked. Eli never really talked about his home life, and this comment really made him wonder what kind of life Eli had had before he took to wandering. "It's okay Eli. I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have said anything about you and Felina." His heart felt a painful jab and he scowled. "I-it's none of my business, and I was wrong to say anything."

Privately, Elizaveta felt like she'd had someone shove a nail through her. "But you were right about me betraying friends..." She muttered so quietly no one heard. She wanted to tell him, so badly. It wasn't right to just continue on like this, fooling him, but she didn't want to tell him when Berwald was right there, watching them from his little nest of items(his pack, his club, pictures of him and people Elizaveta didn't recognize) under the tree.

"Did you say something?" Gilbert asked.

"I said, don't worry about Felina and me. There's nothing going on between us I promise." Gilbert raised his eyebrows skeptically. Eli smiled at him. "It was just a big, really, _really _messed up misunderstanding." Gilbert stared at him for a moment, trying to detect a lie.

In truth, Elizaveta knew that her entire situation was one screwed up misunderstanding, adding to her guilt.

Gilbert saw that Eli meant what he said and suddenly felt considerably lighter. Gilbert grinned, and for a moment they just smiled contentedly at each other.

Then Eli realized they were staring and stood up. "Uh, I better get some more firewood for later. You know, so we don't have to fetch it in the middle of the night." He quickly scurried off into the woods.

Gilbert rubbed the back of his neck again, now flustered and unsure of just _what_ had gone on. He stiffened under Berwald's gaze. The intimidating man was staring at Gilbert, his expression unreadable. "Would you mind knocking it off with the staring? It's kind of creepy." Berwald didn't waver. Damn, he was freaking Gilbert out! Gilbert may've been awesome, but this was weird! "Crapwad..." Gilbert muttered, irritated.

"...So, y' like 'm." Berwald stated out of the blue.

Gilbert started. "What? What are you talking about!?"

"Eli. Y' like 'm." Berwald said bluntly.

"E-Eli!? Me!? Like him!? Man, you must be really insane...that's not true at all!"

Berwald stared at him some more. Gilbert began to get a little angry. "I mean it! There's no way I like that guy!"

"I'm a married man. I kn'w these th'ngs." Berwald replied nonchalantly.

"You're insane." Gilbert replied flatly. Eli reappeared just then, which quickly put an end to the conversation. "S-so Eli, where did you get that flower clip?" Gilbert asked shakily, hoping to forget about what he'd just been discussing as quickly as possible. Eli pulled the clip from his pocket and smiled softly.

"My mother gave it to me." The green-eyed man grinned at him. Gilbert swallowed quickly, and blushed a little again. Berwald smiled to himself.

* * *

"Aah! P-please Miss Felina-you shouldn't, we shouldn't be-! Can I put my shirt back on!?" Feliciano felt sheer horror. Feliks simply muttered to himself in annoyance and ignored him. He pulled the rest of the bandages around Feli's midriff. The priest had been grazed by ship debris and needed to be treated otherwise he'd be infected. Feliks had thought back in his memory, thinking on the medicinal herbs he'd memorized. Then he'd simply searched until he found it and applied it to Feliciano's wound. But how badly Feliks wanted to tell Feliciano he was really a boy so he'd shut up about how he was a priest and shouldn't be seen shirtless by a woman. It may've saved his life, but Feliks was _really_ beginning to hate this cross-dressing shtick.

"There! I'm done! Now will you quit your whining!? I won't touch you anymore." Feliciano quickly pulled on his navy blue tunic and then his white robe. He was red-faced and unhappy. "We'll find everybody in the morning okay? Get some sleep." Feliks curled up near the fire they'd built and closed his eyes. Then Feli's voice came, thin and sad once more.

"D-do you think we'll be able too?"

"Of course, don't worry Feli. Everything will be fine."

"Even Lud?" Feliks sat up in curiousity.

"That's the second time you've mentioned a ''Lud''. Who is he?" Feliks asked curiously. Feli's head drooped.

"My best friend. He was a soldier in Reenson, so he's probably in trouble." Feliks froze. Feliciano looked pale, so unlike his usual happy-go-lucky self. Feliks wanted to tell him that they would find him just like Alfred's brother, but if it turned out they did find him, and he wasn't...with them any longer, that would be so much worse. Feliciano was still waiting for an answer.

"Well Feli..." Feliks started uncertainly. "Let me tell you a story." Feliciano looked surprised. "Once upon a time, there was a young man who lived in the court of his republic. He was the sort of man who often got into trouble, because he loved to play pranks and mess around with people. This man had a best friend-one who held some power in their government, and who often traveled to other kingdoms and countries for his job. The man's best friend was very different from the man himself but they were inseparable almost all the time. One day, an old senator was found dead in his home, and no one knew who had taken his life. However, everybody said it was the mischievous young man, because he'd never liked the old senator, but that was only because the senator was cruel to others. The people in the government decided that it would be easier to let the man hang, instead of have a fair trial, and took the gold they were offered to do so."

Feliks paused a moment and took a breath. Feliciano was listening with rapt attention. "The man was held in prison, terrified of the gallows, of living such a short life, but most of all, of having no one believe he wasn't a murderer. Then came the man's best friend. I said the man was scared of having no one believe he wasn't a murderer, but really, he was scared all his friends would believe he had done it. Many of them did, but not his best friend. Not his _true_ friend. His best friend believed in him, and their friendship, no matter what, and for the young man, that was enough. He wasn't so scared anymore, and he was ready to accept his fate..." Feliks trailed off, lost in plot.

"Ve, did the young man go to the gallows, that's so sad!" Feli exclaimed. Feliks smiled a little.

"Actually, no. His best friend believed in him, and their friendship so much, that he came to the prison the night before the young man was to be hung and rescued him! Believing in their friendship and his friend gave him enough courage to save his friend. He disguised the young man and the two made their escape. In return, the young man believed in the friendship they shared even more, and from then on traveled with his best friend wherever he went." Feliciano brightened.

"So you see Feli, sometimes just being there for your friend and believing in them and their friendship is really what counts. Even if you can't help them, that will be what's important to them. The young man wasn't scared anymore, when he saw that his best friend believed. That's what really mattered to him. And if you_ can_ help them that belief will only help you to do so." Feliks hoped he'd said the right thing. Feliks rolled over and tried to go to sleep. While he did this, Feliciano bowed his head.

_P__lease, please, please...let Lud be all right. He's my best friend, and I...I want to see him again! I believe our friendship is real, real enough that we can meet again. _Feliciano lifted his head and looked up at the sky. "Lud is really strong...he'll be fine!" Feliciano clenched his fists, and gritted his teeth. He believed in all his friends. He believed in Ludwig, especially. And knowing that Lud would be fighting for the people he believed in, his family and friends, made Feliciano want to help him even more! But first they had to find a way off this island, and their other friends too. A bright light suddenly flashed. Feliks eyes opened and he came up in a sitting position quickly.

"Hey! Feliciano!" Feliks yanked on his sleeve. "Look!" The exclaimed. The crossdresser pointed towards a distant light. The light of a _ship. _"We've got to get its attention!" Feliks looked around frantically for something to signal with.

Feliciano grabbed a long branch hanging nearby. He took off his long white robe again and put it atop the branch and began swinging the makeshift flag high in the air. "Come on! Please see us! Please let them see us!"

* * *

On that distant ship, on the top deck a tall man froze. His sharp eyes had spotted a mysterious white flag waving on the dark island, lit by the light of the moon. "Oh, so that must be other survivors from your ship Machado. Funny things, survivors are. Let's hope the king survived, or my country might not be able to help in the coming war." The man smiled at the other one, who nodded quickly.

"I wonder if my little target might be waiting for me as well." The man murmured to himself.

"What did you say, General Ivan?" Machado asked nervously.

"Oh, nothing important."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Sorry for this chapter being a little late! Thank you for your patience! Here is Chapter 12

* * *

**Multi POV**

"So do any of us have any idea where the hell we are?" Gilbert muttered. For the second night in a row they sat around the camp fire. Their search for their friends that day had been, frustratingly fruitless.

"Well, judging from the position of the stars, I'd guess we were blown southward from our coast to the series of islands known as the Neliths." Eli stared up at the stars, looking thoughtful, as though mentally calculating something. Gilbert paused. _How _the _hell _had Eli known that? Eli didn't seem to notice the strange look Gilbert was giving him. Sometimes it seemed like Eli pulled the strangest information out of thin air.

Eli seemed to snap out of his thoughts and decided to change the subject. "What do you say to searching the island again tomorrow? We still have to find the others."

Gilbert's brow furrowed. Sometimes he really did wonder about Eli. He hadn't thought about it much, but sometimes it seemed the guy knew things most commoners didn't. The way he held himself and spoke sometimes also seemed almost foreign. He'd been a wanderer before, hadn't he? Lots of young unmarried men made their living by traveling around the countries doing odd jobs. But the more he did think on it, the more Gilbert realized Eli knew pretty much everything there was to know about him, but he didn't know squat about Eli!

"W' sh'ld." Berwald confirmed with a nod. But suddenly a spark came to his eye. "Y' two c'n g' t'gether..." He rolled over, seemingly content. To himself, he thought he should give Eli and Gilbert plenty of _alone_ time.

Elizaveta raised an eyebrow. What was that about? She noticed Gilbert was glaring darkly at Berwald as well. She sighed. No point wondering about either of those things right now. In her mind's eye she reviewed her tutor's lessons. The Neliths were made up of about 6 small islands. Arthur, Alfred, Matthias, Toris, Feliciano, and Natalya could be on anyone of them, assuming they hadn't floated in the ocean until being picked up by a passing ship. Elizaveta groaned. How were they going to meet up with them again?

Sometimes the strangest things happened. Elizaveta smiled as she realized something. She was calling a King and Royal Guard Captain by their first names as a commoner boy, and when she was a noble girl she had to bow her head to any higher-ranking man that passed. At least from all this grief in this new life, she gained a few new things. Freedom...and something else. Elizaveta remembered she needed to get some sleep and closed her eyes.

* * *

"Woah! Stupid weeds, stupid vines! Stupid, stupid plants everywhere!" Gilbert growled as he nearly tripped and danced his way around the vegetation marring his path. At least with that spray Eli had given him those damn mosquitoes had stopped biting him!

"It's a jungle, Gil. There are supposed to be plants here." Eli deadpanned back at him.

"Hah! The cold in Reenson always clears out all the extra plants in the way! I can't wait to get there and pound those Wang bastards' heads in!"

"Me too," Eli's eyes darkened. "Believe me, me too."

There was silence for a moment, Gilbert considering something. How could he ask Eli about his life at home? "Hey, Eli?"

"What?"

"Do you have a brother?" Eli frowned.

"No, I don't." He replied, and suddenly Gilbert felt as though the subject had been closed. Damn. His friend's eyes had hardened, like they always did the few times that Gilbert dared to ask about his family life.

"Well, my brother Lutz always made the best wurst! Once we find him, you have to try it! There's also this place where-"

"Shh! Shut up! Listen!" They both stopped. It sounded like...ocean waves. "Come on!"

They followed the sound through the thinning jungle to a clearing and then-

"Wow..." A cliff opened up to a beautiful view, the ocean clean and sparking, and along the hill leading up to the cliff several snow white flowers blanketed the grass. Gilbert blinked. "Awesome..."he murmured in awe.

"Nelith flowers!" Eli exclaimed. He stopped at the cliff's edge and held his arms spread out around him. He breathed in the sweet scent of the flowers and felt the warm sun on his face. He sighed contentedly. "This is wonderful... No wonder we didn't find these before, we haven't searched the west side beaches yet!"

Gilbert stared at his best friend's face- so open and alight, smiling from ear to ear. He joined him at his side and held out his arms as well, enjoying the wind, which ruffled his silvery hair. For a long time neither of them spoke, just enjoying each other's company and the sun on their skin.

Finally, Gilbert dared to break the peace with the question that had really been bothering him.

"Eli?"  
"Hm?"

"How come you were traveling around all by yourself when we first met? Just looking for work? Or for another reason, like me?" Eli froze and looked back at him, suddenly a grim look on his face. Had Gilbert said something he shouldn't?

"It was another reason, just not weapon-collecting." Gilbert's hand subconsciously fingered Phobos in its sheathe. Eli sighed and sat down along the cliff, looking weary. "I left my home. My father and I-we didn't get along. Never had." He explained quietly.

"How come?" Gilbert asked curiously.

Elizaveta smiled to herself. If it was someone she didn't know well she would've told them it was none of their business, but this was Gilbert. And of course it hadn't even occurred to Gilbert maybe he shouldn't ask something so personal. She trusted him fully, so now it was time to come clean completely. Now was the best time, because no one else was around. Her heart was pounding however, and she was incredibly nervous. How would he take the truth?

"Well...a lot of reasons. For one thing, Gil, whenever I disagreed with him he'd hit me, which got tiresome after awhile." Gilbert froze as Eli said this, shock taking over.

Then fury contorted his features and he gripped Eli's shoulders, snarling through his teeth "He did _what _to you!?" Just the thought sent Gilbert's mind into a red-tinged blank. How dare he!? How dare that unAwesome jackass do that to Eli!? That man didn't deserve to be called Eli's father! He wouldn't get away with doing that to Eli! Gilbert's hands itched to wrap around that man's throat.

"Yeah, he'd hit me, berate me too, whatever. Point is, I couldn't stand him trying to control every part of my life. So I left my home in Siensia. My father felt that I shouldn't be taught how to fight, or have thoughts of my own, or ever disobey him. Not to mention he loved flaunting his status for all to see. Finally I just couldn't stand it anymore." Eli stated nonchalantly, as though they were discussing the weather. But that last statement caught Gilbert by surprise.

"His...status?" What the heck was that supposed to mean? Eli grimaced.

"My father is a noble." Gilbert was so shocked he staggered. Carefully, he sat down, forcing himself to take deep breaths and process _that _bombshell. The son of a noble...was a noble.

"Eli...y-you're a nobleman!?" He sputtered. Well, this certainly explained why Eli always seemed to know such strange information. He was educated far beyond any ordinary person! Eli tilted his head down towards Gilbert. Who would've thought his Eli was carrying _that_ little secret!

"I'm a noble, not that it really matters to me." Eli confirmed. "But I'm not a noble the way you think I am..." Eli suddenly looked up, staring him in the eye. "Gilbert, I'm a-"

"You two!?" A voice yelled up to them from below. They stared down the edge of the cliff.

"Alfred!?" Gilbert cried in surprise.

"Hah! It is you guys! That's great! We've been looking for you! Hang on-let me get Artie!"

* * *

"Berwald! You're actually alive! That's-that's great!" Matthias, laughed, surprised at the relief he felt seeing his partner-in-crime. Damn, those two idiots had actually been right! They had survived! Matthias couldn't believe how thrilled he actually felt.

"We've been looking for you Your-Arthur." Eli quickly amended. "We just hadn't checked the west beach for you yet!"

"What've you been doing?" Gilbert asked. Alfred grinned excitedly.

"Trying out my brilliant idea! We have to get off this *&^*ing island somehow if we're ever gonna rescue Mattie! We need a ship since Machado's got totaled. Total karma though, the guy had it coming."

"Alfred actually had a semi-competent idea for once." Arthur held up a stone. Smooth and round, the color of snow.

"It's over here, on the other side." Matthias gestured towards the other end of the beach and they stared at their creation. Several large white stones were laid out, stretching across the sand. It had been invisible, along with their fire ring, from the angle of the cliff Eli and Gilbert had been looking from. The message was simple, accurate, and blunt. HELP. Spelt out with the strange stones it was impossible to miss.

"Ke! Why didn't you just build a huge bonfire and let it burn? Lame!" Gilbert snatched a lighter coloredstone from Alfred's hand. "This one's kind of weird." He commented. It _was_ strange. Cream-colored, and oval-shaped, and oddly lighter than the other stones.

Elizaveta blinked. Wait a second, was that a-

"_Peep."_ All of them froze, eyes going wide at the strange sound. There was a sudden series of tiny little crackings, and Gilbert cupped his hands to catch the stone as it rolled over.

Suddenly the stone broke apart, little bits of shell falling around itself. Gilbert's eyes got huge as he stared at the little slimy ball in his hands, sitting in the little mess of shell. Then, the little slimy ball cocked its head up at him, and suddenly its down puffed out, making it an adorable, yellow, tiny puffball!

"It's a chick!" Elizaveta fought the urge to squeal about how cute it was. Although, it was a precious little thing! It chirped happily and fluttered its little wings at Gilbert, as though saying _Hi there! Here I am! Nice to meet you!_

"Fancy that." Arthur commented as he bent closer to examine it.

" 's cute." Berwald watched it hopping around in Gilbert's hands.

"Uh, dude? You okay? Dude?" Alfred shook his hand in Gilbert's blank face. Suddenly another, much more obnoxious sound broke out.

"~Kesesese!" Gilbert laughed loudly, shaking so hard, the little chick struggled to keep its footing. "~Kesesesese!"

"He's cute! He's Awesome! He's Gilbird, and he's mine!" Gilbert continued on laughing like a proud papa, and placed the little chick on his head. It promptly began to snooze there, like it had lived their its entire life.

"Gilbird, dude?"

"Of course! Only something as Awesome as him should have a name as Awesome as the Awesome Me!" Gilbert declared, placing his hands on his hips. He reached up again, and pulled 'Gilbird' down from his new nest and nuzzled him to his face. Elizaveta finally couldn't stand it.

"Aaw! He's so cute!" She clapsed her hands together, and suddenly flushed as she realized what she'd done. Matthias snorted.

"What a little girly-boy!" He laughed.

"No," Arthur interrupted. "No, he's quite right." He smiled at the little chick, thinking fondly of Flying Green Mint Bunny.

* * *

Later that night, the gang exchanged explanations of what had happened to them after Machado's ship had been destroyed.

"So that's what happened to you guys?" Gilbert raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Artie grabbed Matthias and that's when I saw them, being slapped around by the waves." Alfred explained.

"...If a ship never shows up, what'll we do?" Matthias suddenly broke in. The bleak question brought an uneasy silence to the group, who shared looks.

"Well, I suppose I'll have to use my magic to get us off the island." Alfred suddenly glared at Arthur as though to say _Oh no, you won't! _Arthur glared back like _Yes, I will! Don't argue with me!_

"Actually, we'll build a raft, get to the mainland, then take another ship out to Reenson." Alfred replied, not breaking eye contact with Arthur.

Elizaveta sighed and glanced over at Gilbert. He merely grunted and laid back. Elizaveta followed his example. If they were going to be dealing with the rest of this bunch, they were going to need their sleep. Sleep, and a ton of patience.

A bright light woke her. A light, and an ecstatic shriek. "YOU GUYS!" She bolted up right, on guard and feeling for her sword. But her jaw dropped instead. Feliciano was waving rapidly, hopping up and down from the deck of a ship. A huge light was being shone at them by what she assumed were crewmembers.

"F-FELICIANO!" Elizaveta yelled back, relieved. The ship was huge, with dark wood and an-oh, _omnious_ aura around it that she couldn't explain. But that aura was pretty much ruined by the hyperactive little auburn-haired preacher running up and down the sides of the ship, shouting happily to them. Much to her delight, she spotted a boy with brown hair in green robes, and a young girl with platinum hair. Another ''girl'' with a hair bow was waving to them as well. Feliks.

The ship pulled up on the shore, and the crew tossed down a rope ladder to the sand. Everyone else was up and on their feet now, cheering now that they were going to be rescued. Elizaveta ran up to the ladder, paused to let Arthur go ahead of her, then went on ahead when he insisted she go first. Gilbert climbed behind her, Gilbird nestled in his silver hair.

Feliciano offered Elizaveta a hand to pull her aboard. "I'm so happy you're okay!" He exclaimed. Elizaveta smiled and opened her mouth to reply, as she took Feli's hand, but suddenly she gasped and doubled over, pressing a hand to her head. "Eli!?" Gilbert gasped and stopped behind her.

Elizaveta's head was throbbing and suddenly she was in a different place. _"Oh...**Daniel**..." Elizaveta was on her knees, sobbing. Her hands were shaking, one twisting a ring on her left hand. "Why? Why does that beast do this? Our home has been burnt to the ground...and **you**!? Y-you were...no... My poor brother..." Elizaveta's vision was bleared with tears, and she barely raised her head to look at the grave marker. But the pain was too great, and she lowered her head to the ground, and howled her grief._

She gasped and looked up again. She was back with Gilbert, and her heart was pounding. What was that!? "Eli! Come on, you're freaking me out!"

"Fine, Gil. J-just fine." She stammered. Elizaveta's eyes drifted back up to Feliciano, who was watching her with a concerned look on his face. That was the second time. The second time she'd touched him and had some kind of vision. Elizaveta's eyes narrowed. Why did that keep happening? She pulled herself up on to deck and stopped there, trying to piece together what had just happened.

* * *

"Haha! _Dude!_ You're okay! I knew it!" Alfred tackled hugged Toris. Toris smiled at him, relief on his features.

"I'm glad you're alright too, Alfred." The ambassador replied, hugging his friend. Berwald pulled Matthias up onto the ship by the scruff of his neck, much to the latter's shock and complaint. Arthur however called to one of the shipmates, demanding to know who was in charge.

Natalya watched from afar, jealousy nagging at her heart. _She_ wanted to be the one holding Toris. Normally she didn't have a problem with the buffoon, but right now Alfred was irritating the hell out of her! The young girl stared down at her hand, reminding herself that _she_ had been the one to hold Toris' hand. But then again, so had Felina(that little bitch) so maybe it wasn't that much of an accomplishment. He also hadn't been conscious at the time...Natalya reached into the sleeve of her dress, and pulled out what looked like a very old piece of cloth. When she turned it over, it became clear is was actually a small violet dress, far too small for any human to wear. This doll dress had been the only possession she'd had when she woke up in the orphanage.

Natalya pressed it to her face, breathing in the scent. The dress smelt like smoke, although she didn't know why. It always made her gut churn, but as far as she knew, it had always smelled that way. Heavy footsteps came up behind her, and made her tense. Natalya hid the dress back I her sleeve before the man saw it. She turned, glaring at the one who'd interrupted her thoughts.

Then time seemed to stop. That face...was of someone she didn't know, and yet did know at the same time. He seemed so _familiar_. Very tall. Platinum blonde hair that blew in the night's wind. A round face, and a sweet smile. A large nose. But most shocking of all, violet eyes. Natalya felt her heart suddenly begin to pound.

"W-who a-are you?" Natalya had stammered! She _never_ stammered! He smiled, and her heart sped up even more. W-why did she feel this way around him?

"I am General Ivan Branginski. I am from Siensia." He had a pleasant accent, not one that was difficult on the ears.

"Natalya! Oh, I'm sorry. Who is this?" Toris had joined them now, eyeing Ivan carefully. Something about this man felt...off. Toris didn't like it. And the way Natalya was staring at him...Toris felt his heart tighten.

"This is General Ivan!" Natalya put in, her voice rushed and oddly high. _This_ Toris disliked even more. Natalya's voice was no longer smooth and calm the way he loved to hear it.

"But, for a funny little creature like yourself Ambassador Toris, it's okay to call me Ivan. _Da_?" Ivan smiled at Toris, and chill swept across his skin. How did he know Toris' name? Toris trembled, even though he hated it with a passion. This general put fear in him, and Toris couldn't stand him for it. But at the same time he couldn't force himself to keep eye contact.

"Ah! So it seems I've rescued His Majesty from this island prison!" Ivan boomed happily. He swept forward to shake hands with Arthur, who watched him warily. "Is King Arthur able to manage all right without Merlin around?" The general asked cheerfully.

"Why would I need Merlin when I'm a sorcerer myself? A pleasure, General Braginski." Arthur replied icily. He'd heard of Ivan Braginski, but this was the first time he'd encountered him.

"And who is this dear one?" Ivan asked, his eyes flicking to someone sitting on the deck. That someone was plainly not feeling well. He strode over and placed a hand on the person's shoulder. The person turned and stared in horror up at him. Somewhere inside his mind, Ivan felt as though something clicked into place in the most satisfying way. He smiled even more brightly at the one in front of them. "What is your name?"

"E-Eli. My name is Eli." Ivan felt smug. So Master Hedervary's daughter had disguised herself as a boy and joined King Arthur's mission? Well, there was no point in dragging her back right _now_. He would have that pleasure later, but only after all the fun in Reenson was over. He couldn't wait, to see the blood of the Wang staining the hills, flowing...flowing _everywhere_ over the hills. Ivan blinked and shook Elizaveta Hedervary's hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, Eli."

* * *

"A pleasure to meet you, Eli."

Elizaveta felt a weight lift from her chest. By some miracle, Ivan hadn't recognized her. That, or her father hadn't sent Ivan to hunt for her like she thought. Whatever the reason, Ivan wasn't forcing her back to that horrible life and unwilling marriage she left behind. But that didn't mean she would be stupid enough to lower her guard around him.

"You're a general?" Gilbert cut in brusquely. This guy was _way_ different from his _bruder_ Ludwig, even though they were both generals. He'd seen the way Eli had looked frightened by this creep. It pissed him off! Apparently even Siensian nobles knew this guy, and didn't like him. To make someone as strong as Eli scared, he had to be bad news. But whatever happened, this general wouldn't be messing with Eli! Gilbert clenched his fists. Not while Gilbert was still alive.


	13. Chapter 13

** Alfred's POV**

I became a Captain in the Royal Guard when I was 16. Then when I was 17, I was also given the ranking of Captain in the Royal Knights, and Artie made me Head Knight. It was totally _badass! _You know what's not badass? Anytime you have to cross into hostile territory. Which we were currently doing. Which was scary as _hell_. But before I go into that, let's back up a little.

* * *

I had just gotten up and was heading down to the mess for breakfast, thinking any of it was better than whatever rations Artie had prepared and salvaged from the wreck. Lethal in magic _and_ cooking. I shuddered. Thank God we had the head chef at home or I would've been killed by toxic meals years ago. Toris came up from behind me and joined me. He glanced at me uneasily.

"...Are you sure we can trust Ivan? He's...strange." Toris gulped, and I noticed his hands were trembling. I waved a hand, he worried way to much!

"Well, he's a general from Siensia, and Artie's ''other self'' told him Ivan met with him to give us Siensia's support. I don't really trust him, but I think we have to tolerate him for now. At least until we get into Reenson, then we don't have to deal with him anymore. Besides, if he gets any funny ideas, I can beat the holy hell out of him!" I grinned. Toris didn't look very convinced.

"By the way, where is Artie? He wasn't in our room when I woke up."

"Um, he's in the mess hall, I think." I blanched. _Oh, God. Please tell me he isn't cooking! _I ran down the hallway as fast as I could.

"DON'T LET HIM TOUCH THE STOVE!" I burst through the doors, desperate to stop whatever mutated muffin monstrosity Dr. Arthur Kirkland might've invented in the kitchen.

All I got was blank stares. Apparently everyone on ship was eating breakfast, including my group(with Artie, to my relief), Machado, and Ivan.

"Oh, good morning Comrade Fredka. Care to join us?" Ivan's creepy smile widened, and I snagged a seat next to Felina. She raised an eyebrow.

"Like, _Fredka_?" The blonde girl asked in confusion. A knife impaled itself in the wall next to her face. She jumped and glared back at Natalya, who'd thrown it at her.

"General Ivan will call us whatever he wants, you cheating little bitch!" Natalya glowered. Sparks flew between their eyes. I stuffed a sausage into my mouth, thinking that they shouldn't really be all pissed off about it, I didn't mind the nickname. Suddenly Felina nailed Natalya between the eyes with some mashed potatoes. I could've sworn Natalya flashed a pair of viper fangs, then she lunged. _Uh, oh._ _Catfight._

Natalya tackled Felina, knocking over the table. Somehow Ivan had pulled a bowl of porridge off the table and was enjoying it while watching them roll around on the floor with amused eyes. Felina yanked Natalya's hair, who howled and slammed a knee into Felina's chin. Blood ran down her lip to the floor. _Damn. _I sat up straight, if things got a little too wild I'd break things up. If not, I'd let them settle whatever the issue there was, themselves.

Berwald 's expression was unreadable, as usual. Matthias wolf-whistled, obviously pleased at the spectacle. Eli was on his feet, yelling at them both to stop it and act like real women, looking as though he were personally offended for some reason. Feliciano was crying, telling them both to stop. Gilbert was laughing, which made Eli yell at_ him_. Artie looked shocked, and maybe a little intimidated for the first time ever. Then Toris walked through the double doors, and looked horrified at what was happening.

Natalya grabbed a plate straight from a shocked crewmember's hands and threw at Felina, who ducked. The people in the path of the plate behind her ducked as well. One unlucky person however didn't duck in time, and got cracked in the head. He fell over, and his buddy got mad and chucked a roast at Natalya. She dodged and someone else got hit. Suddenly, food was flying everywhere as the men got angry and decided to join the fray, taking on whoever they currently had a beef with. It was a golden opportunity.

"FOOD FIGHT!" I yelled.

Artie leaned back in his chair, a force field blocking gravy and ham from hitting him. He sipped a cup of tea, now seemingly resigned to the chaos. Feliciano ducked behind a table and waved a small white flag, while Gilbert jumped into the fight, despite Eli trying to drag him back. Matthias jumped in too, Berwald preferring to catch whatever came at him and pop it into his mouth.

No way was the HERO staying out of the fun, I nailed five guys with a plate of toast, then managed to dodge the barrage of eggs coming my way. I saw that Natalya and Felina were still fighting, only now they were fencing with forks, like something straight out of a story. This was crazy, crazy awesome! Have you ever seen someone walk around with a pot of cold soup stuck on his head, arms out, feeling his way around? Then he accidently touches Felina's rear, and she slugs him so hard he falls on his back? Which makes the pot of soup come off? Let me tell you, it's hilarious sight to see.

Unfortunately, that little incident distracted Felina long enough for Natalya to have her by the throat. The air punched out of her windpipe, Felina fell to the floor, but Natalya kept her hand there. She screeched something furiously in a language I did _not_ recognize, and suddenly, a chill swept over the crowd.

Everyone froze in mid-throw, looks of terror on their faces. Then I saw why. Ivan was making his way through the food-covered sailors, over to Natalya and Felina. An aura of dread surrounded the general. He reached down, and pulled them apart effortlessly. Then he held them by the collars of their dresses. Every person in the mess was holding their breath, waiting to see what happened. Ivan examined Natalya, his eyes freakily blank.

"You have fighting spirit, little one." He commented carelessly. She flushed, and stuttered a moment, before her voice seemed to shut off. Scared of him, probably. "But, I didn't know you could speak that language." Natalya stared as though she didn't understand.

"W-what language, sir?" Wow, her voice had gotten high, she must've been _terrified_. As soon as she asked the question, Ivan's whole demeanor changed, and his creepy smile was back.

"Perhaps you mean to mock them. Do not ever do that again if you value your life." He smiled brightly, and for some reason, she _smiled_ back happily. Her fear must've driven her completely nuts. Ivan dropped Felina, and Natalya(who seemed frozen to the spot), and turned to address all of us.

"Comrades of my crew, this is a disgrace. Clean my mess hall or I will tie your spines into knots. My guests His Majesty and Captain Alfred, meet me in my quarters." Then Ivan swept out, his scarf trailing around his neck like a snake.

He passed Toris, who had remained rooted to his place in the doorway, and was the only person not covered in food besides Artie. Speaking of which, His Royal Fancy-Pants joined me with a look like he was thinking on his face. "What's up?"

"She said 'Stay away from him!' But that language is mostly dead now..." Artie stared thoughtfully at Natalya, who was still red-faced and frozen.

* * *

As we walked in, Ivan gestured to a chair for Artie to sit in. "Would you like something to drink? Vodka?" He poured both me and Artie a glass of strange clear liquid and placed it on the table before us.

"You certainly are well accommodated, why not eat your meals in here?" Artie observed the elegant desk and paintings(of sunflowers, for some weird reason).

"I like to be with my friends." Ivan rested his chin on his folded hands as he said this. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "By now I'm sure you know that your original plan will no longer work." Beside me Artie nodded grimly. He and I had already discussed it last night, we didn't have nearly enough time to get out before the counter-attack happened.

"If you had not been caught in the storm, you would've been able to get into Reenson, find and free the Prime Healer, then get out before our counter-invasion occurs. The storm took away precious time, and now, you will be entering Reenson just a _day_ before the invasion begins." The general explained aloud.

"Your only choice if you don't want to be caught in the war is to leave through the norhtern coast of Reenson, since you won't be able to get out the way you came." Ivan surmised.

"You're right, unfortunately, that makes things a hell of a lot more complicated." The king started to take a sip from his drink, but I snatched it from his hand before he could. He sent me a death glare. Well, too bad! It was bad enough he couldn't hold his magic, liquor wouldn't help! I stared into my own glass, thinking about what this meant.

_Well, right after I get Mattie and the others out, I'll be heading right back in anyway. What are Head Knights for, sitting around? Hhmph. If I didn't have to worry about them I'd just stay in the country to fight and not bother with leaving at all. I'll be commanding my troops soon enough._

"Fine by me! I'll find out where my brother is, get out, and then come back to kick ass! Ha ha ha!" I leaned back, laughing. There was no doubt in my mind I wouldn't find Matt, what I _was_ worried about is what those Wang bastards had done to him. I knew my eyes had darkened, because Artie flashed me a wary look.

"Do you even know where he is?" Ivan asked cheerfully, tossing back another drink like it was water.

"No, but we do know that the Commander Tao of Emperor Wang's commanding bracket will have information on where unusual prisoners of war might be. Once will locate him in the country, we'll find out from him where to find my healer."

Ivan suddenly had a strange gleam in his eyes. "Then you would like to have me along, _da_? I could help in your search. I will come, _da_?" Just as I was about to say _Hell, no_ Artie stood up.

"Agreed." Was he smoking something!? Why the hell would we want _him_ along!? Sure, he was fine for transportation, I was okay with him on that, but in Reenson? What would stop him for stabbing us in the back? I trusted him, but not to that point!

Ivan cocked his head. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Once we were outside and well away from the thick doors of Ivan's quarters I grabbed Artie's arms. "Why in the sweet burger-filled world did you tell him to come!?"

"Bloody hell, Alfred. I thought even _you_ would understand! He's an asset to finding Matthew! He's a general from one of the countries that's been friendly to us before, and is obviously very powerful! He'll be a good ally!"

I scowled. "Yeah, but Siensia still isn't one of our allies! I don't trust him enough to come on land with us! What if he betrays us somehow!?"

"If it will help us find our Prime Healer, then it's a risk worth taking! It's not like he has a reason to backstab us, so stop worrying and just accept he's going to help us! Or do you not care about Matthew?"

That question made my heart just about come out of my chest. **What. the. hell.** I forced myself to let go of Artie's arms before I could bruise them.

"What kind of idiotic question is _that_? Of course I care about Mattie! He's my little brother for God's sake! You know what? That's a better question to ask yourself, since you sent him into this death trap in the first place! But I already know that answer! You don't care about anyone but yourself! That's why you let him go! You might've just sent him to _his grave_, and you don't even care!" For a minute, I could've sworn Artie's eyes flashed with hurt, and I felt a twinge of guilt. But then it was gone, replaced by his cold kingly mask and he turned his back to me.

"Go inform the others of our new plan, Head Knight. We'll be at Reenson's coasts in the morning." He called me by my title. That meant the subject was closed. My anger was suddenly spent, like the winds knocked out of sails. I spun on my heel and headed off to find everyone.

* * *

"So we go in, find my brother, then get out on the northern coast. Understand?"

"Yeah, but if we're leaving by the northern coast, that means we'll have to steal a ship and sneak past the Wang's ships on that front. And before that, we have to keep ahead of our forces coming from the west, so we don't get caught in full-out battles." Matthias groaned.

"That's not the way to go about it! We just need to rescue one person, that can't be too hard! Especially not for the HERO!" I declared as I struck a heroic pose on the table.

"But's that just it, Captain." Gilbert muttered, not meeting my eyes. He was calling me captain? What was up with that? Gil wasn't a military man even if he was a knight by my promotion. But it was his decision whether or not he stayed as a knight, I'd just wanted to reward him for helping save Toris. Whatever, if he was calling me captain, the point was that something serious was up.

"It's not just your brother I want to rescue..." I looked hard at him as he said this. Who else could we need to rescue? "I haven't been honest with you. The only reason I stayed as a knight this long was to save my own _bruder!_" I blinked. His...brother was in trouble too?

"I meant to leave Regnoc's service right after we dropped Toris off in Nolond. But then I found out Reenson was invaded...Reenson is my homeland, but you guys already knew that. What you didn't know is my brother is probably captured by the Wang. I want to free my home, but more importantly I need to find my little _bruder _Ludwig! He's a general, a knight, and probably one of the prisoners of wars." Gilbert bowed his head as he stood, looking pained.

"It's so unawesome-what they're doing, and I understand if you want me to find my _bruder_ myself, since you need focus on yours. But I wanted to make that clear!" Before I could say anything Eli suddenly stood up beside Gilbert.  
"If Gilbert leaves knighthood, I'm leaving too!" He declared. Gilbert stood They both stood, holding their breath, waiting for me to say something.

I sniggered. They both stared at me. Then I full out laughed.

"HA HA HA! You serious!? Yo, homies, you guys don't have to leave my command if you want to find Ludwig! I'll help you find him! We'll all help you find him! All of us together, you know!? We'll find _my_ little bro, and _your_ little bro, Gil! 'No man left behind' am I right?" I managed to get my laughs under control, long enough to see Gilbert still staring at me in stunned silence.

Then he grinned and slapped me on the back. "Right! Together! Awesome!" Eli was smiling too and slapped me on the back as well.

"Thanks a lot, Alfred!" Then I remembered something else.

"So, why it's out in the open, anybody else we gotta rescue?" Berwald raised a hand.

"M'wife..." He said quietly. I nodded.

"Okay! So we got two little brothers and a wife to save. My brother looks just like me, but he's so quiet he's almost invisible, so it might be hard to see him. What's your bro like, Gil? And your wife, Berwald?"

"Ludwig's all strict, totally boring, no fun at all! But he's still brave so he's okay. He's got blonde hair slicked back, he's tall, and he has blue eyes." Gilbert announced.

Berwald's eyes softened at my question. "M'wife 's sm'll, cute, 'n h's wh'te h'r 'n violet eyes."

Translation: My wife is small, cute, and has white hair and violet eyes.

Okay, now I had a full picture of them.

"Easy-peasy! Let's find 'em! Get ready, we'll be heading ashore in the morning!"

* * *

So while everyone else cleared out, Toris stayed behind because he wanted to ask me something. I just didn't want to see Artie right then. Toris sat there fidgeting for a few minutes, and the silence was awkward until I finally didn't stand it.

"How's Felina? So, are you two not together anymore? I mean, she _did_ kiss Eli..." I still wasn't sure if they'd worked that out.

"She's fine. Yes, we're just friends now. But they're not together either, it was a misunderstanding. But I don't think I ever really cared for Felina _that_ way..."

The silence between us was again awkward.

"Whaddya wanna ask me Toris?" I finally got sick of waiting for him to spit it out.

"What do you think of G-General I-Ivan? I mean, what kind of person does he seem like to you?"

"You're asking about him _again_? Found out he was coming ashore with us, huh? I He's creepy, and you can practically smell the crazy on him, but he also isn't the sort of guy I'd want to pick a fight with. Of course I'd beat him because I'm the hero, but he's still pretty strong."

Toris suddenly groaned and buried his head in his hands. "I knew it...I knew it!"

"What?"

"He _is_ more manly than me! Damn it! No wonder she's looking at him like that!" _What?_ Before I could find out what his problem was, Toris shot to his feet and ran out of the room, muttering under his breath. I sat there for a minute.

"Uh..._okay_?"

After that I had no other reason to put off going back to my quarters, but even then I didn't face Artie. He didn't try to say anything to me either, just pretended to be asleep in his hammock. _Fine._ If he wanted to play it that way, I could too.

* * *

So here we were, the next morning over, about to pass into Wang-occupied Reenson. Ivan had been towing another, smaller, less equipped tradeship behind his own military-issued ship. It was one Machado had requested be brought while the search for survivors from his ship had been going on. Since we were going to play the part of poor Drimad tradesmen, this ship played the part a lot better than Ivan's.

A rope ladder allowed us to shimmy down onto our new deck, with out fake Drimad Ids from Machado stuffed into our supply bags. We'd been careful to hide our weapons in the ship's floorboards, so when we were searched, they hopefully wouldn't be found. Quickly we changed out of our clothes into patched, worn brown clothes, devoid of any sign of wealth, ranking, or career. Ivan's ship pulled away from ours, and we sailed on until we saw the horizon of our destination. Reenson. My breath constricted in my chest at the sight of it.

The skies were terribly polluted above it, blackened from smoke. Were those animal hides on the rocky beach below the port? Several miles away I could smell the rotten-egg scent of sulfur. The And countless military ships dotted and surrounded the harbors, we could see a whole armada from here! But most horrible of all, I saw the red flag with black fang designs waving like a banner high above the- the _razed _city.

Wang's banner.

Gilbert took one look at his home and turned bright red. His eyes let on how dangerous he currently was, like a trapped animal. The guy's hands were gripping his twin blades so tightly his knuckles were snow white. He wasn't able to speak, so angry was he, not even to curse.

"My God." Artie stared in horror at what had become of our ally.

Eli clutched at the ship's railing, white-faced. "How could they do this?"

Feliciano lowered his head, praying.

Ivan simply continued on smiling, although it seemed even more fake than ordinarily. He placed an arm around Toris, who then looked more sick than before.

Felina's legs gave out. "W-we're actually taking them on?"

Natalya's face was harder than usual. "Why are you all so shocked? This is war."

Berwald glowered, his aura changing from playful to serious.

Matthias stared uncomprehendingly at the black mass of land ahead.

A particularly large ship with red sails came out to meet us. "STOP! MOVE ANYMORE AND YOU WILL BE SHOT!" The Wang soldiers aboard watched us suspiciously.

_Gee_, why did I get the feeling something was going to go terribly wrong?

* * *

A/N: This chapter was sort of a filler :( On a better note, the next chapter will NOT be filler at all, with a lot more action. Remember a certain blonde we left behind in Reenson with his allies? The one that was caught between the agonizing decision of killing his fellow soldiers or being captured himself? Well, we'll be returning to him next chapter ;) As an apology for the lateness of this chapter(again, argh!) Here's a few excerpts:

**"Aaagh!" He fell back, blood filling my peripherial vision. My heart sped up.**

**"Kiku!" He was going to be killed!**

**"Y-you're a traitor? _Why!?" _He roared in anger.**

**I knew the chances of us coming out of this alive were slim-to none.**

And these are all from different moments, not just one :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Matthew's POV**

I wanted to pull the cowl of my disguise down so I wouldn't see what was about to happen. I cast a glance at Ludwig. He wasn't really going to shoot them...was he? Was he!?

He couldn't be that kind of person, I knew that much, even though I'd only known him for a few days. The soldiers of the Wang in their black uniforms watched us darkly, and I felt like throwing up. I couldn't stand by and let this happen. I couldn't let more people die!

Before I could do anything, the soldier who'd had Commander Honda arrested barked at Ludwig in his own language, saying something I didn't understand. But whatever it was, it made Ludwig straighten into a very militaristic pose. He raised his gun, pointing it directly at Vash-! The safety released. No! I looked away.

''Aaagh!" He fell back, blood filling my periphial vision. My heart sped up. I barely dared to look, then gasped. Vash wasn't dead. None of the prisoners were. Ludwig had suddenly turned, firing a shot into the smug soldier, right between his eyes. For two seconds everything was still.

Then complete chaos erupted.

Ludwig tackled the nearest Wang soldier in the firing squad. An ear-splitting din of angry yelling rose up, hurting my ears. The prisoners suddenly began attacking, despite their hands and feet being chained. Several shots were fired. Some from the guns of the Wang, causing some of the prisoners to fall, blood blossoming across their clothes. A handful of prisoners had somehow rustled guns from some of the Wang, and were now firing shots off at their enemies. A strong hand clamped down on my shoulder as I tried to back away from the terrible sight.

I struggled and realized it was Zwingli, somehow free from his bonds and clutching another person. The boy, Peter. "Get yourselves to the nearest exit!" Zwingli yelled, and shoved Peter into my arms.

"But what about the snipers-?" Zwingli pointed a rifle at the guards tower, aimed and squeezed the trigger, simultaneously shoving me to the ground. A man let out a cry and fell from his post to the ground. Okay, so Vash was one hell of a shot! From that height and angle! A man crashed beside us, crying for someone to please kill him, blood pooling around him. I gasped and covered Peter's eyes, ducking behind the nearest cover. A child did _not_ need to see any of this!

Carefully I crawled way along the prison walls, eyes focusing solely on the exit. Every time a gunman caught sight of us, a bullet from Zwingli's gun would stop him before he reached us. Despite my complete and utter terror, I managed to keep a shaking grip on Peter and bring him along with me. But even when a gun landed beside me, I didn't go for it. I came to this country to save lives, not take them!

_Where's Ludwig? _I wondered desperately. Finally, we reached the gates but they were chained shut. We had to get out though, how were we-! An idea stuck me. Vash could shoot the locks off! Using one hand to keep Peter close to the ground and stood up carefully. "VA-!" My cry was cut short.

A bloodied man, with a maddened look in his eye stared at me, pointing a long rifle towards me. Oh, God.

I found myself blocking Peter from his view, praying that by some miracle he wouldn't shoot. His cruel smile didn't reassure me.

Seconds ticked by, but felt like an eternity.

Then, something strange happened. Something I didn't comprehend. Something red winked in the sun, but jutted away from the Wang soldier's uniform. Then blood burst from his lips and he fell forward. Wha-?

A bullet of sweat rolled into my eyes, as the man's now limp form fell away to reveal a familiar face. I blinked the moisture from my eyes.

Commander Honda Kiku, sheathed his strange sword, and stared back at me. I realized slowly that there was a littering of collapsed bloody men behind him, slashes marring their bodies.

"Please, let us leave." He walked gracefully through the prison yard as though it were a meadow. To my utter shock, the mounted guns on the towers above were now breaking, their gunners yelling furiously in protest! T-the mounted guns had identical slashes cut into their sides. I stared at Kiku's sword suspiciously. The prisoners were beginning to gain the upper hand!

I'd paused in my escape because I'd almost been shot, but now I saw that the Wang were backing off! We were winning! I laughed in relief. In a few moments many of the Wang were captured themselves, and the former-prisoners were bordering around the walls, eyeing the ground for any other soldiers.

Ludwig now caught up to us. His normally slicked back hair now hung into his eyes, and he looked exhausted. Several former-prisoners followed him. Vash was bringing up the rear, adjusting his newly acquired rifle.

"Now, let's get out of here." Ludwig uttered, gazing back at his new men.

"_Si_, General!" A newly-freed Reenson soldier cried brightly. He was just a little older than me, with green eyes, tan skin, and curly brown hair.

"And you are?" Ludwig asked.

"Antonio! _Mucho Gusto_!" He replied. Kiku smiled slightly.

"Your enthusiasm is admirable. A citizen of Baaz?"

"Right. After the Wang took over my home when I was a child, my _familia_ fled here. I've been hoping to free my old home, but first we should save the one that took me in!" Antonio now replied, a little more fiercely.

"Well said." Vash came up behind us, clutching his rifle very tightly.

* * *

That night, Antonio made all of us laugh as he told wild stories about his family back home. We sat around the fire and ignored our growling stomachs, Ludwig muttering something about missing wurst. For a moment, we all felt comforted, and like we were all home safely right now.

"What about you, Matthew? What's your family like?" I lowered my head. He'd noticed me! Once there was a crowd around, hardly anybody ever noticed me. Ludwig, Vash, Kiku, none of them had said a word to me since we'd gotten out of that death trap.

"My brother Al's a knight. He's completely nuts and can be kind of dense, but really he's a good guy underneath it all! One time-" I paused to laugh at the memory. "One time, he actually put pink hair dye in our ,uh, other brother's shampoo! Said Arthur's hair was the pink butterfly to his bushy caterpillar eyebrows!"

Everybody grinned as I laughed. I omitted just who Arthur really was, and just what position of knight Alfred was, the same way I didn't tell them I was actually Regnoc's Court Prime Healer. If I did mention it, they'd probably start worrying about me instead of focusing on what was really important- getting across the border to safety.

We all knew that we had a long journey ahead before we could escape into Siensia.

Ludwig nodded. "That sounds like something my older _bruder_ Gilbert would do. After he drank six pints of beer..." The general nodded. Antonio laughed.

"I'd like to meet him! I bet he can't drink more than me!"

Ludwig sighed."You'd probably lose that bet..."

Kiku tilted his head.

"None of you could drink more sake than I..." Normally modest I'd learned, Kiku must've been serious. I stared at the sword he had on his side.

"Kiku..." I paused tentatively, hoping not to be rude if I asked it.

"Yes, Matthew-san?"

"What kind of sword is that?" Suddenly his eyes darkened, and I gulped. He looked really intimidating that way, with eyes like an old man. I wished I'd never asked him!

"A katana. A gift from my older brother." He replied tightly. Antonio smiled widely, obviously not sensing the mood(geez, he was just like Alfred!) pointed at the sword.

"Wow! He must be a great _hermano_ to give you a gift like that! Who is he? Did he defect from Wang's control too?" Kiku looked down.

"My brother _is_ Yao Wang." My jaw was scraping the ground. I'd known Kiku had some kind of strange past, I'd even pieced together that he was the samurai commander that was always by Yao Wang's side. _But brothers_? I'd hadn't expected that in the least.

A chill swept over the group of soldiers and the hush of silence was eerie. Some even glared at him, as though about to say something-probably a stabbing insult. I understood their anger, that man had burnt down their homes and ruined their lives, locked them up in that camp. But it wasn't Kiku's fault! And now he was trying to stop that same man. I felt terrible for Kiku, it must've been awful to see what his older brother had done...

I felt Goosebumps at the impossibility of Al or Arthur becoming evil like that...the destruction they could wreak would be devastating. I shook my head. But of course, neither of them would _ever_ do that!

But, as usual, someone else spoke up before I could say anything. Vash stood up, glaring at them all. He was still fiddling at that same rifle, and I wondered for a moment if he might shoot them. He didn't.

"Enough. None of what Yao Wang's done determines who Kiku is. Tell us, you've defected from the Emperor's control, spied on Yao Wang, and secretly fought him at every turn, right?"

Kiku paused, staring at Vash for a moment. Then, they both nodded at each other.

"Yes. I have done everything you said." Kiku agreed. Vash gripped the rifle tighter.

"Then nothing he does, says anything about you." Vash murmured.

Suddenly, a younger, higher voice broke in.

"You know, since I'm such a great knight, I could help you guys stop this war! Just leave it to me!" I thought Peter was asleep, but apparently I was wrong.

"Haha, you'll have to wait a little longer before you can become a real knight, _puqueño!" _Antonio ruffled Peter's hair.

"Hey! I am _too_ a knight!"

"Someday I hope to have a sweet, funny _niño_ like you Peter!" Toni chuckled. "But first I plan to find _mi Corazon_! She lives in Siensia!"

The night continued on well enough, before we finally put out the flame. Half of us sat up for watch, in case a patrol of Wang soldiers came by, but we were in a fairly secluded area, so we were probably okay right now.

Nevertheless, I tossed and turned unable to sleep. A hand touched my shoulder in the dark and I jumped, ready to sound the alarm. A hand clamped down on my mouth.

"Shh! Matthew, it's me!" I relaxed. Toni.

"What's wrong?"

"I have a favor to ask you."

* * *

The next night, Antonio's favor was pressed tightly in the folds of my vest beneath my cloak. A letter to his Corazon, that I should deliver if he couldn't. I still felt shocked he'd asked me for it, but he said I'd seemed like a trustworthy person. We had to get some provisions if we were to have enough strength to travel. We'd already realized though that if we came into a town for rations in one big group, we'd stand out_ way_ too much. So, it would be me, Ludwig, Kiku, and Vash heading into the town.

We hid our faces with hoods, and Kiku in particular was careful to hide his face and sword, in case he might be identified as the traitor to the Wang if someone saw either.

We carefully entered the night market, having walked the whole day to reach there. What we saw was quite dismal. Only a few women, quite frail looking, offered clothes or fruit for sale at small booths with wooden roofs. A few children might peek out at us from behind their mother's legs, but all had big, frightened eyes. My heart sank. They reminded me of Peter's eyes in the few moments when he was quiet. I didn't need to ask where their fathers were. I already had a good idea.

More than ever I hated this _damn despicable war!_ The constant reminder that innocent people and good soldiers were dying sickened me. The fact that a child like Peter had already been shot at, threatened, and imprisoned-all on top of being _orphaned_, infuriated me. And soon Al and Arthur would be fighting on the front lines!

_I. Hated. It. _I lowered my head, biting back the anger inside me. Raging would do me, nor my friends any good right now.

I moved to follow Kiku, when suddenly a hand caught my sleeve. I stopped. Cautiously, I glanced over my shoulder. A stooped, bent over figure with a reedy voice croaked at me. "Can you spare a coin?"

A flower of pity bloomed in me. "Sure. Wait just a moment." I fished through the money pouch we'd collected from the captured Wang Soldiers after our revolt. It was amazing that so many Reensonians spoke the common language of Siensia and Regnoc alongside their own tongue. But what surprised me even more was that an old timer like this one, spoke without the accent. Since most Reensonians didn't speak Regnoc Native at home, it was rare to come across one without an accent. Even Ludwig, and Vash, high-ranking military authorities spoke with their accent.

I pulled a handful of coins from the pouch as I finished these musings and handed them to the old man. Wait a second...it was really quiet now. "Matthew-san!" Kiku yelled.

I saw the flash of a blade, Kiku's katana, suddenly at the old man's neck!

"Kiku!" I yelped. His wrist gave a quick flick, and the man's robes were ribbons. Instead of an old man, a young man, with short-cropped brown hair, thick brows(reminding me of Arthur) and a blank face stood up impassively. He didn't seemed bothered by the sword that was so close to his jugular.

"Hello, Kiku. Nice to see you, I suppose." The young man murmured.

"Tao. Nice to see you as well. Did you come to check up on me?" Kiku replied. Tao? Oh, _oh_, no. Another of Yao's commanders.

My eyes flicked between the two. It was the oddest thing. Even though the tension had just increased between the two ten-fold, they were speaking so politely, like old acquaintances over a cup of tea.

"Don't act dumb, Kiku. You know full well while I'm here. You're a traitor." Tao replied icily.

"How did you find me?" Kiku demanded, obviously aware that there was no point lying.

"I'm a master of spying and espionage. You should've expected me to have someone on the inside." Someone on the _inside? _His eyes flickered my way, ever so slightly.

I gasped. "Maple leaf_..._'' Was it...!? No way! I couldn't believe we trusted him so easily! I was such an idiot! My hand flew to my vest, and I clutched the letter. A letter to his _Corazon? Yeah, right. _Antonio had lied, that sorry hoser! And I had believed every word. I yanked it from the folds of my vest and tore it to pieces right then and there.

"I'm here to arrest you and the others. You'll be taken to Emperor Wang, tortured, then executed." I shuddered. The way he said it...He was so calm! I felt the terrible urge to run, run away and never look back. But I couldn't just leave the others! Maybe I could warn them!

"Matthew-san." The smooth voice of the samurai whose back was to me cut deep. I understood instantly. This was my one chance, and Tao's men would be here soon if they weren't already.

I had no choice. I bolted. I just barely glimpsed over my shoulder to see Tao rushing towards Kiku.

* * *

"Guys! Guys! We've got to get out of here _now_!" I nearly tripped over Ludwig, whom(along with Vash) had returned to the others. He grabbed me by the shoulders.

"What's wrong!?"

"Tao Kaoru is here! We've got to-!" I cut off, catching sight of the one who'd cause all of this. With a cry of anger I tackled Antonio, and rolled around in the dirt with him as he tried to shove me off.

"How could you!?" I cried. Ludwig wrestled me off, holding me back by my arms.

"What are you doing, Matthew!? Have you gone mad!?" Antonio was staring at me from his prone position on the ground, all wide-eyed like he was so innocent.

"He's a traitor! He gave me a tracker that gave Tao our location! He must've been planning this." Antonio's eyes darkened, and before he could reply, a shot blew up. He howled in pain. I gasped and looked back at Vash. He was coldy furious.

"Y-you shot him the leg. You didn't have to do that!" Vash coolly pulled a cloth to polish his rifle, dauntless of what had just occurred. I shivered, not for the first time tonight. People who could act out violence without a hint of remorse-they unnerved me.

Regardless of what he'd done, I couldn't let Antonio lay there and bleed. He was rolling on the ground, clutching at his leg, trying not to scream more. The men were already grabbing for their supplies, preparing to make a run for it. Ludwig's eyes narrowed.

"Lieutenant." Vash went rigid and turned towards the general. "I'm going to help Kiku. Get the others out of here. Take that traitorous scum as well. I'll deal with him later. Matthew, search him for further tracking devices."

I nodded and knelt next to Antonio, placing a hand on his forehead to calm him slightly. "Calm down, I'm not going to hurt you, even if you intended to hurt us." He was shaking his head 'no' and trying to shove me off. He grabbed my vest and pulled me closer.

"N-no...I didn't do it, Matthew." His voice was barely a whisper, choked with pain.

"Matthew." I felt Vash's hand on my shoulder. What could he need at a time like this? I whirled around to face him, and froze.

* * *

"Kiku!" Ludwig cried, searching the now empty village for his friend. It was eerily dark, and he felt a chill rise inside him. He cursed himself for allowing themselves to pair off instead of sticking together when gathering provisions. He heard soft footsteps, light and quick above him. He gasped when he saw them. Illuminated by the moon, sparks flew from Kiku's katana as it met Tao's knives. Ludwig did a double take. Knives that were worn as _gloves_. The silhouettes of the combatants were also illuminated, above Ludwig on a house's roof.

The one Ludwig presumed to be Tao broke the hold of the katana against the knives and swung his weapon in a wide arc, towards Kiku's abdomen. Time seemed to slow down. Kiku just barely shifted out of the way in time, then jumped into the air, backflipped by springboarding off of Tao's head, and rotated to bring his sword down onto Tao's neck.

Tao's knife-covered hand swung around as Tao rotated his own body simultaneously with Kiku's having sensed the coming sword once again just barely preventing decapitation. Kiku then brought his sword up in a swing, this time forcing Tao to lean back to avoid it, forcing him off balance. Kiku instantly spotted the weakness, and kicked Tao's shoulder, sending him stumbling.

But instead of falling, his opponent swung his own foot out, which was revealed to also have a blade on the heel. Kiku barely suppressed a groan of pain. Blood ran from the wound in Kiku's lower leg, made by the heel's blade. It slowly dripped onto the roof.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

"Give up. The result is the same no matter what you do. You're going to die." The moonlight glinted off Tao's hands.

"I didn't want to harm you, Tao. But you give me no choice." the samurai murmured softly. He glared up from his kneeling position, eyes suddenly containing a frightening bloodlust. Tao's expression morphed to one of surprise.

Kiku stood up, ignoring the insignificant 6-inch deep gash in his leg. His katana was once more in its master's hands, and suddenly, Kiku came at Tao furiously attacking. Slashes, swings, wide arcs slammed into Tao's knives so quickly in repercussion that it seemed that they were really all occurring at once. Ludwig was willing to admit how terrifying an enemy his friend had become, and that it would be foolish as well as perhaps deadly to get involved at this moment.

The knives became more brittle with each blow, but Tao blocked the attacks anyway, realizing that if he lowered his guard for an instant, he would be slaughtered. And blocking really was his only option. The attacks were graceful, yet vicious so that he couldn't even strike a returning blow. He couldn't use the knives on his feet to kick and slash at his former comrade either. Tao was being steadily forced back, nearer and nearer to the roof's edge. If it kept up like this-!

_Damn. I knew this might happen._

Suddenly, Kiku changed his tactic, twisted the katana's handle in a fast moment, the hardest part of the sword. It came down on the knive glove of Tao's left hand painfully. The steel on Tao's hand shattered, along with bone. Tao yelled in pain, only to be silenced by a sudden, electrifying cold feeling, straight through his shoulder. Blood spurted from his mouth. Flecks of red dotted Kiku's icy expression.

Eyes wide with shock, Tao fell from the rooftop. His thud echoed on the ground.

Silence.

An eerie, unsettling silence.

Ludwig stared up in awe and maybe a little fear at the Samurai bathed in the moonlight. His white uniform and pale skin decorated with crimson, matching the bloody sheen of his sword. "Well, it seems he didn't need my help..." the general deadpanned.

Kiku jumped from the roof, landing beside his comrade. "It is done. We must leave before another comes to take his place."

**oH yOu ReAlly tHiNk yOu CaN?**

A distorted voice suddenly came from behind them. Before Ludwig could turn, Kiku caught sight of the devilment behind them. A devilment sending a wall of fire towards them! Kiku shoved Ludwig into the nearest door, and pivoted so his back would take the brunt of it. Kiku screamed a blood-chilling scream as the fire made contact. The kind that no sane person would ever want to hear.

It was sheer excruciating agony shooting through his entire back. Like lava, hot as hell but somehow freezing as ice shooting through him. He couldn't move or think at all, except in fragmented thoughts, and clawed at the dust. "Kiku!" He heard someone yell, a deep accented voice he knew he should know. He was going to be killed! Or if not Kiku was going to die from these wounds in his back.

Ludwig felt incredibly useless and numb. He barely comprehended what he saw. First, the samurai who had just defeated their perhaps most dangerous enemy, lying with potentially fatal burns. The second, the one who had inflicted them. The one who was very similar to others Ludwig had seen once before during a time of great stress.

The monstrosity took a tentative step forward, glowing red like a sunrise for hell on earth. He could see fangs, several sets of razor-sharp teeth, and horns rising from the head. But then, it paused as though realizing something. The flames suddenly-melted? died down? Either way, they ceased to exist, and a human figure reappeared.

Ludwig dry-heaved. It was Tao. Somehow not dead. Somehow a human and monster at the same time. "See? I told you, that you would die." The commander stated calmly.

On split-second reaction, Ludwig raised his gun and leveled it at Tao. He knew it wouldn't do any good. Suddenly he heard a gunshot behind him, and cautiously turned to face him. He saw yet another thing that didn't make any sense.

Matthew, white-faced and sickened, with Vash holding a gun to his back. It made no sense.

"Good work, Zwingli. That rifle you we had you pick up worked just fine. It recorded Kiku's confession perfectly. You proved him a traitor." I felt a sudden ringing in my ears.

Vash was Ludwig's friend. He was an excellent sniper and an even better spy. He'd given information to our Republic that prevented Wang invasions for so long. Ludwig knew he had a younger sister he loved with all his heart. Yet, right now it was illustrated in front of Ludwig that Vash had committed a heinous act.

"W-what's the meaning of this? Lieutenant?" The green-eyed man shot his general a sly grin. Several soldiers

"Just aiding some new allies. You know, all this was planned to uncover Kiku's double-agent status. The prison break, the riot, me picking up this particular rifle. All a plan. I was expected to uncover the commander's true allegiances and hand him over, but I guess handing over a high-ranking Reensonian general will just be the icing on the cake." That phrase put the final nail in the coffin. Uncontrollable rage overtook Ludwig, destroying most of his organized thoughts. He took a threatening step forward, but stopped when he saw Wang soldiers join Zwingli. Guns cocked towards him.

"Y-you're a traitor? _Why!?" _He roared in anger.

* * *

Again my eyes flicked to Kiku, horror seeping through me. I had to get to him. He was dying. But with the gun pressed to my back I couldn't do anything but stand there and listen to Ludwig's furious grilling of Vash.

I knew Ludwig would be murdering Vash with his bare hands right now if he wasn't in the range of fire of these soldiers.

"How many, Zwingli? How many good men died because of your betrayal!? How many families have been torn apart?" Ludwig's voice held barely suppressed rage. "Why'd you do it, for money? Information for coin? I thought you were better than that!"

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! For years I spied for my country, for Reenson. It's thanks to men like me that this country hasn't been invaded _until_ now! But you know what I realized after fighting His Excellency's advances for so long? It's pointless, no country stands a chance against him!"

Ludwig was completely disgusted. "_Mein Gott_, you're actually calling Yao Wang 'His Excellency'!"

Vash continued on as though he hadn't heard him. "But it was even when I realized that, that I gave up on this hopeless cause. Oh, _no_. I was determined to die for my country and my _beloved_ people, rather than surrender to the Wang. When I gave up, was when I realized my little sister's life was _void_!"

Ludwig's face was stone. "What do you mean...?" he muttered.

"She's sick! Lilli is sick! She'll die from it if I don't get treatment for her!"

"So why don't you!? What does that have to do with your betrayal?" Ludwig demanded.

"No one in Reenson can treat her! Nor the Allies! The only ones who can treat her are in the Wang Empire." Vash replied as though it was obvious. Then for a moment, something almost remorseful flickered across his face. "It was the only way. If I didn't agree to help them, Lilli wouldn't live to see her 10th birthday. And you know what the really funny part is? She got infected with a disease I brought back from a mission! Because I spied for this pathetic country, she suffers!" Vash laughed insanely why Tao watched neutrally.

Ludwig snarled at his former comrade. "And just what would your sister think if she saw you now?"

"What would she think if I hadn't done what it took to save her? I know I wouldn't have been able to live with myself."

"But you can live with thousands of innocent peoples' blood on your hands?"

"They _don't matter_. You know you would do the same for your brother."

Blood roared in my ears as I shifted. How...how could Vash say a whole country full of innocent people _didn't matter_!? Fury boiled inside me. People who didn't value life, who tossed it aside like garbage, didn't deserve to live themselves!

"You're such an idiot." I spoke through gritted teeth. Vash glanced at me contemptuously. I know for a fact I would do anything for my family, but I also know my brother would never forgive me for trading an innocent person's life for his. He wouldn't want anything to do with me if I did. And I wouldn't be able to stand the guilt. But there was Vash, acting so callous about it!

"You think you're so noble, and that the reasons you did it makes betraying all these people all right. Well, you're wrong, wrong about everything. Even with these odds, no cause is lost if people are still willing to die for it. Not only that, but your little sister will never recognize you as her big brother now! You're nothing but a monster!"

Vash snarled and pressed the gun harder into my spine. My anger had made me less afraid, but more stupid perhaps. Didn't mean that I regretted saying it!

I swallowed noisily. I knew the chances of us coming out of this alive were slim-to none. But I still had to at least try to save Kiku.

"Let me heal him, Kiku'll die otherwise!" I cried in protest.

"We'll keep him alive long enough to die by the Emperor's hand." Vash's cold voice said from behind. Then, the butt of that damn rifle came down on the back of my head. Everything went black.

* * *

When I awoke, I was still completely out of it, but I tried to gather what information I could .Peter was unconscious beside me, eyes puffy. He'd been knocked out when Zwingli had called for the ambush on us. We were in a...box. A box with a lock on the door. And barred windows and a bench. But I thought we'd been moving a time or two when I'd barely woken up. Was it...a holding cell? No...hazily, the answer came together. A holding carriage. That's what we were in.

My head throbbed painfully, and I peered out of the barred window from my position on the floor. A holding carriage had come to a stop, but we hadn't reached the Capital of Reenson for our execution yet. I knew that much. But just because it wasn't _our_ execution, it didn't mean there was going to be one.

I cried when I spotted them. The gallows. The nooses swinging in the air. No, it wasn't _that_ that made me cry. It was those brave men, the men who'd fought against tyranny, only to be captured and then regain their freedom, then be captured _again_ that made me cry. I could only see their backs, but it was enough.

The nooses were fit snuggly around their necks. There was a moment of silence, and I closed my eyes. I heard the sickening drop.

I knew Antonio was somewhere among them. Guilt crushed down on me. I couldn't even bring his final message to his loved one. I thought he'd betrayed us, and I wished I could tell him how sorry I was.

But that was impossible now.

* * *

A/N:Wow...I feel terrible after writing that...Plot twists, much? Things are never quite as they seem.

Btw, if anyone has guessed who Antonio's Corazon is, and are hating on that pairing with a fiery passion, you can relax. It's not going to be a big point of this story. At all.

The next chapter, we're back with Eli's group!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Since that last chapter was a wham chapter, this one will be lighter, and (fluffier!) a bit more positive. Enjoy! Thank you to all you lovelies who reviewed! Thank you to all the silent readers out there too! :D

* * *

Arthur froze as the Wang boarded. _Oh, bloody hell. _Although he never would admit it, he was nervous to the point of passing out. Sweat streamed down his neck and pooled at the top of his cape. If they discovered one of their biggest threat's king was aboard this vessel, they'd drag his companions away to be killed violently. That is, after they tried to strip Arthur of his magical powers and their cover had been blown. Of course, there was no chance in blazing hell that Arthur would ever let them near his friends. But he'd rather not go through any unpleasant business right then.

If something else went wrong and by chance Arthur himself died, it would be a disaster. Contrary to what some people believed, his other self within his homeland would die as well-should Arthur's life end. The people would be at a loss if their king died when they were in the process of invasion. Which was _very_ soon! _Bloody **hell**. _Arthur thought again.

_Alfred, please don't do anything stupid._ The king took a deep breath, remembered his tutor's lessons in decorum from when he was a child and took a step forward as a Wang military official also stepped onto their ship.

The official scanned each of them, the ship, and then his lip curled, as though he didn't like what he saw. "You're trespassing on the property of the glorious Wang Empire. We'll search your vessel. Against the wall, state your business, then we'll decide your fate. Now!" Gilbert's face reddened at the word 'property'.

Although the order and sheer pompous nature of this official infuriated Arthur, he forced himself to take a breath. "Of course, sir. We're poor traders from Drimad, and we thought the Wang might be merciful enough to offer us trade." He faked a complacent smile, trying to ignore the urge to vomit. Arthur was well aware that Alfred was silently clenching and unclenching his fists.

Soldiers were going below deck, but their small group managed to keep themselves under control. Natalya, Toris, and Ivan even followed the soldiers to show them around the ship. Even though they wanted to throw every Wang scoundrel off this ship, they never would, because their cover would be blown, no matter how much they wanted to. The official cast his glance towards Gilbert, and to Arthur's near heart attack, took notice of him.

The man waltzed over to Gilbert and jerked the albino's chin up suddenly, examining him. Gilbert's normally warm and obnoxious aura had suddenly taken on one of fiery death.

"You sure are strange looking for someone from Drimad? Do something stupid and get yourself cursed as a child?" The official sneered. Apparently, he must've had a death wish or was just plain stupid because he didn't seem to notice the deadly expression on Gilbert's face. There would be no point in telling you what he was thinking, because it mainly consisted of suggestions of what the official could do to himself, and would be censored.

_Gilbert, don't do it. We can't blow our cover. _Arthur thought urgently.

Gilbert's face twisted with disgust. "What's with the disrespectful glare? Perhaps you need someone to teach you your place." The shorter official taunted. Gilbert's body language shifted to one of a man about to brutally and utterly beat someone.

_DAMN IT! _Arthur thought. Alfred made a move to stop him, but before he could, Gilbert-

had his best friend suddenly blocking his path between him and the man in front of them. Eli had smoothly inserted himself between the two, and his posture was now quite regal. "He meant no ill-will." Eli assured the official. He'd been silently observing up until now. The young man sent a smile towards the Wang-loyal man, one that the gave the official cold sweats once he processed its hidden message.

_**Do you want to die?** _

Eli simply cocked his head to the side, with the same sweet grin.

Alfred relaxed, leaning back against the railing. Like he wasn't at all worried about the chance that the soldiers might find their weapons. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. _Good man, Eli. At least one person on this ship has a level-head and common sense. _The cool-almost royal way Eli held himself took him by surprise. It reminded him of the way someone within his own court might act, or even Arthur himself. But the king also thought that perhaps there was something different about it...what it was, he wasn't sure.

"Smart one, he is." Arthur murmured quietly to his Head Knight. Al simply glanced at him then crossed his arms and looked away. So he was still angry about their argument. Arthur realized the minute he asked if Alfred cared about Matthew what a bloody idiot he was. Of course he knew Alfred cared about Matthew, he'd watched them play together as children! Alfred had always looked out for his brother, even when they were small! But in the heat of the moment, he became sick of everything being complicated, because it always, _always _had to be complicated on this damn earth and he lashed out at Alfred for just making things more difficult. Some king he was if he couldn't keep himself from letting his temper fly!

He wished he knew how he could apologize, but after what Alfred had said there was no way he was going to say sorry to that-that fool!

The words had been sharp and cruel as a blade. _Of course I care about others besides myself. I care about **him** and Matthew. Does he...does he honestly think that of me? _Arthur wondered. The thought made his heart drop to his toes.

Of hearts and painful matters, Gilbert's felt his own throbbing. The snowy-mountains in the distance were invisible due to the Wang's smoke, the forests he'd played in as a child decimated. The idea that his own little brother could be a victim of this was tearing at him. _Lutz...Lutz, hang on. _He thought to himself like a prayer. The only thing that lightened the burden just a little, was Eli beside him.

"I know you're not alright Gil. But you will be. You're stronger than this." Eli's green eyes stared straight into his, fire within them. Gilbert's heart continued throbbing, but now there was a lighter skip-beat with it. Eli really was Awesome.

Elizaveta deeply believed what she had just told Gilbert, but the appreciative look Gilbert sent her way made Elizaveta's heart race. _No, wait. Why am I thinking about that? Gilbert is the one I need to be thinking of, he's hurting...but, wait a moment. Was I just thinking of him...when my heart sped up? _

Elizaveta's face reddened terribly.

* * *

Below deck, Natalya silently watched the men that were following her from behind. Toris and Ivan were in front of her. She knew the men behind the three of them were searching every nook and cranny of the small vessel, but they wouldn't find the weapons or any other object that would arouse suspicion. If they did, she would just have to silence them.

Toris and Ivan showed the soldiers the quarters and they entered, but one soldier lingered behind, beside Natalya. Toris glanced back at them, concern plain on his face. _Toris is worried about me. How cute. _Natalya thought happily. She smiled in his and Ivan's direction. Then she blinked in surprise. She couldn't remember smiling since...she didn't know. But something felt it was on the tip of her tongue, or in this case her mind. She didn't know what. Natalya felt frustrated, but this was the first time this had happened. Was this an improvement? A memory coming back? She just didn't know, and that infuriated her to the point she was scowling darkly.

Toris felt faint with pleasure. _Miss Natalya's smiling. She's happy about something. She looks even more beautiful when she's like that. _The ambassador smiled to himself, even though he knew it wasn't necessarily appropriate to be thinking something like that. But then again...maybe it wasn't so bad since...he was beginning to really like her. He shook his head. He hadn't been entirely sure up to this point, but now he knew it. He just wanted to see her smile more...and maybe even laugh. _It'd be great if she was...maybe she **is** smiling at me. _He thought.

But then she suddenly scowled. _Oh no...did she notice me looking at her? Great job, Toris. Maybe she thinks you're trying to flirt with her! Are you trying to make Miss Natalya hate you? _Toris berated himself. But that wasn't what the real issue was. Toris was worried about that soldier out there now...

Natalya was fully aware that the man next to her was staring at every inch of her body, and staring _hard_. She wondered if there would be a big fuss if she quickly drew her knife and stopped his staring, but decided against it since that it would probably be a mess afterwards.

"You're quite beautiful..." The man next to her murmured in a husky voice. Silently, Natalya bit her tongue. She knew that she was beautiful. It wasn't the first time that had been pointed out. But it didn't matter to her, though. A surface was just a surface, it wasn't as important as the hardness underneath. Natalya had always known that.

Now he was closer, and she felt his hands upon her hair and shoulders. _Now, I will strike his pressure points and paralyze his legs and vocal cords. _Natalya decided. But just as she was about to carry out her plan, a furious brown-haired ambassador had rushed out there to meet them.

Toris was enraged. There was no doubt in his mind this scum was going to move his hands elsewhere in a minute. "_What the hell are you doing_!?" He demanded. The soldier sent him a blank look. "You can search our ship, but _you will **not** touch Miss Natalya_!" Toris exclaimed furiously. He grabbed the soldier's arms to yank them off of Natalya. The soldier's face suddenly contorted with anger, and before Toris could actually raise a defending arm, backhanded him across the face. Blood burst from Toris' lower lip and fell down hard against the hall's wall.

Natalya was about to scream with rage and attack the soldier, but another person beat her to it. Ivan had taken notice and now had the soldier pinned by his arms against the wall. "I do not like men who hurt women. Also, I like Toris. He is amusing. You will not hurt him, _da_?"

The soldiers looked on in disbelief, and the one who was pinned was frozen in terror. "Get on with searching the ship, but tell your commanding officer about this, and you will pay dearly for it." Ivan continued on sweetly. Natalya watched him, and felt warmth spread through her. He was amazing.

Toris felt ashamed and sad as he stared up at Natalya's look of adoration towards Ivan. _Again, I'm too weak to do anything right. Ivan had to help Natalya..._

* * *

The soldiers lined up on the deck. "Well, your ship has passed inspection. You are welcome to enter the port, but your stay is permitted for only 2 days, and then you must leave. We'll have a guarded escort join you this evening at your selected inn." Feliciano watched in relief. So the big, bad, Wang hadn't figured anything out! "Ve! Toris, what happened!?" He suddenly yelped when Toris joined him beside him. He was holding a wet cloth to his bloody lip and had a somber look on his face. The auburn-haired man frowned in concern. "I-it's nothing..." Toris replied, looking...ashamed? Feliciano bit his lip, wondering why. Everyone had reassembled, and they were approaching land.

Eli stood nearby, and Feli reached out and tugged on his sleeve. Eli jumped about a foot and stared back at him nervously. "Ve, Eli, why is Toris upset?"

"I don't know, Feli, I've gotta go help Gilbert with something!" He exclaimed hurriedly, then rushed away.

Feli frowned, feeling even more confused and worried. Why had Eli been avoiding him lately? He avoided his touch like the plague. "Did I do something bad...?" He wondered aloud.

* * *

The ship had slowly docked along the port, and they were concealing their ''trading supplies'', to head over to the inn they'd been assigned. But just as they were stepping down onto the first solid ground they'd seen in days, Berwald couldn't help but pause. He wanted to remember why he was here. He carefully reached into his mantle, and retrieved a small leader necklace, with a small velvet red hat charm was hung. A gift from Tino, on their first winter festival.

Berwald leaned his head back, remembering. Tino's bright, sweet face. His gentleness to everyone. But it hadn't always been like that. Before he'd met Tino, everyone was too terrified to go near him, even his family, because he'd always been abnormally large and intimidating.

* * *

_"AAAGGHH! Leave me alone! YOU'RE SCARY!"_

_''Look at him, he's so big, like a gorilla..."_

_"I wouldn't go near him, he might eat me!"_

_The 10-year-old boy was much taller than any other child in the little snowy village he'd been born in. That meant everyone was scared of him. Or hated the fact that they couldn't take advantage of him, or egg him into hitting a smaller child. Berwald hated that. He hated hurting others._

_"Can't w' j'st b' fr'nds...?" Berwald wondered sadly._

* * *

_"That's it, if you won't go down and confront those cheaters at the tavern like I told you, then you're not welcome here! All that strength and still a weakling! You're no son of mine! GET OUT! NOW!" Berwald dodged the bottle of alcohol, while tears blurred his vision. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, away from the home that had never truly been a home._

* * *

_"So, you managed to get those pathetic treasurers to pay without even using any muscle? Good work, Berwald." Tao Kaoru commented emotionlessly. It wasn't that great for Berwald, he didn't want to be a mercenary, but nobody else would hire him. It was just a relief that he hadn't needed to hurt anybody. Even in this line of work, Berwald hated it when it came to that, and he avoided it whenever possible._

_"All right, the next one should be simple. Just a few shopkeepers in the next country over. Once you return, you can be sworn permanently into my service. You'll be a real Nord then." Berwald tried to hide his dismay. He didn't **want **to be a Nord. They carried out kidnappings, and assassinations. But what other choice did he have? He was already in too deep._

_So that night, he shouldered his supplies, and headed out for the latest extortion._

* * *

_"G've m' th' m'ney." Berwald towered over the small shopkeeper, who glared up at him angrily._

_"If we weren't under the 'protection' of your damn superiors, I would actually have enough money to live decently! These islands are no different from the countries you took over by force!" The shopkeeper shrieked, red in the face. He was sweating. "I've had it! DAMN!" _

_Berwald waited patiently. He did feel sympathy for the shopkeepers, and honestly, he'd rather work for **them** instead of Tao. But he didn't, and he still had to bring the money. "Please." Berwald muttered quietly. Something seemed to come over the shopkeeper, and kind of frightening calm. He stared Berwald in the eyes and nodded._

_"You'll have your pay in a moment. Wait here." the man headed into the back, with Berwald eyeing him warily. More than once, Berwald had seen a person forced to the brink by exhaustion. He hoped this man was well, and hadn't snapped for whatever reason. He shifted and looked at a picture on the wall. Guilt pushed at his wide chest when he saw that it was a drawing of the shopkeeper's family. A plain-looking woman, probably his wife, and two little boys with solemn expressions._

_"Here's your pay." Berwald looked up at the sound of the shopkeeper's voice. His blood ran cold._

_He'd heard of the few rebellions where shopkeepers had hired mercenaries of their own to stop extortionists, but this was the first time he'd seen it in person._

_"PAYBACK TIME! GET HIM!"_

* * *

_He'd barely gotten away, even with his giant size and strength. 4 against one wasn't an even fight, anyway you looked at it. What really worried Berwald was the headwound, dripping out crimson liquid. With what little Berwald had been able to staunch it with, the bleeding hadn't stopped. His vision was foggy and he was dizzy. Even if his ordinary vision wasn't up to par, Berwald knew this was the result of the blow. Wait, he'd lost track of where he was walking...He was in a little town now, a different one._

_Everything was spinning..._

_Was that porch floor getting closer?_

_Everything went black._

* * *

_THUD!_

_"Wha-!?" A small man with big violet eyes and white-blonde hair sat up in bed. He blinked blearily in the dark. Carefully, he felt with his feet onto the floor and stood up. A worried little bark met him. "Shh, Hanatamago, it's just me. It's just Tino." He reassured his small puppy, who he could feel snuggling against his legs. Worry seeped through him, along with fear. What had made that loud thud? Were Wang soldiers knocking on his door? The thought terrified him. Tino had always thought he was safe, because this little snowy island was of so little importance to the Wang. They usually were ignored, even if they were the Empire's territory._

_But it had only been one, sudden, loud thud. Not pounding against a wooden frame. Carefully Tino felt for a candle in match in his dresser drawer, and set the wick ablaze with the strike of a match. The only option was to investigate. He didn't live with anyone else(besides Hana), so Tino had to check it out alone._

_As an afterthought, he grabbed a broom from the corner of his bedroom, and crept down the stairs. The bakery he owned and lived above was untouched, Tino noticed as he made the descent, so it wasn't a robber. **That's a relief, they didn't eat my Christmas cookies. **Tino thought silently. Maybe the thud had been outside?_

_He held the broom in the crook of his arm, and put the candle in the hand he'd been holding the broom with. With his now free (albeit trembling) hand, he carefully turned the knob of his front door. He peeked out. But saw nothing. "Well, that's weird." Tino stepped out onto the porch. Then he heard a groan._

_Tino looked down in surprise, and nearly let out a scream. A huge hulking man covered in blood, with the scariest face he had **ever** seen-was lying there! "H-holy Martin Luther!" He yelped. As fast as he could, he retreated into the house, barred the door, and peeked out the window at the stranger on his porch. Tino took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself. He looked at the stranger again. "T-that blood's his..." he whispered, shocked at the realization. So he wasn't some kind of lunatic murderer. But that meant he needed Tino's help! _

_Tino ran to the nearby closet, arranging bandages and old wine for disinfectant on the floor. Now he had to get the stranger inside. But at the door, Tino froze. H-he was scary...and what if there was a reason he'd been hurt this way? What if he'd been attacking someone? For a moment, the fear nailed Tino to the very spot he stood. Should he call the town watch? Let them handle it?_

_Suddenly, shame reddened Tino's cheeks. What was he thinking? The town watch were scoundrels and liars. They'd probably just throw the poor man into jail so they didn't have to bother with him. **Just because he's scary, doesn't mean he's a bad person! Get it together, Tino! He needs your help.**__With that, Tino stepped onto the porch, and set to the task of somehow dragging the stranger inside._

* * *

_Berwald was aware of a splitting headache, and the quiet sound of someone's breathing. He cracked his eyes. Ugh. Too bright. But he would never know where he was if he didn't try again. Not to mention, where his spectacles went. This time, Berwald forced his eyes open fully. The first thing he saw was the blurry frame of his glasses, which he slowly reached out for and took from the side-table. There, that was better. Now he could see. His line of sight followed the sound of quiet breathing. Berwald's breath caught. Perhaps it was because he was still groggy, but there was an angel sitting next to his bed, wrapped up in warm red blankets._

_The angel had snow-white hair and a serene face, young and girlish. **Beautiful...** Berwald thought in awe._

_Now that his vision was clearing completely, Berwald saw that the beautiful person beside him had no wings. So that meant they were a human. The person was much smaller than him he realized, and with that, he also realized that the angel was actually a man. Had he brought Berwald inside this quaint little house? If so, that was quite a feat, because of how small the young man was._

_He stirred suddenly, and opened his eyes to see Berwald. He looked a bit surprised, but didn't draw back in fear, much to Berwald's happiness. "Are you alright? What happened? Were you in a fight?" At the silence as Berwald took him in, Tino wondered if perhaps he was an amnesiac. "Can you tell me your name?" Tino asked._

_"...Berwald." The bespectacled man replied, feeling overcome that for once he was talking to someone without terrifying them. He felt a strange feeling come over himself for this other person, something he hadn't felt for a long time. Affection. "Wh' 're y'?" Surprised at the strange manner Berwald spoke, Tino took a moment to reply._

_"My name is Tino."_

_Now that Tino looked closer-he was surprised to say Berwald wasn't quite as scary as he first thought. In fact he was sort of...friendly. In a way._

* * *

_"So...y' kn'w m' now. I h've t' g'. Y' could g't h'rt if I d'nt..." Berwald shouldered his pack, his back to Tino, although he knew Tino was crying. It had been a few months since that night when Tino had treated Berwald. They'd grown fond of each other in that short time, to the point they didn't want to be separated. He hated the thought of leaving Tino, but if he didn't, Tao might send someone to find them. If that happened, something terrible might happen to Tino if he was in the line of fire. Tao always got what he wanted. Tao had wanted Berwald's mercenary work._

_"I don't care, I'm not letting you go!" Berwald froze as he felt Tino hug him from behind. "Please Berwald...we can get out of here before they find us, and find someplace safe. I don't care if you used to be a mercenary, you didn't want to be! Everybody treated you badly and you're still the kindest person I've ever met. I'm coming with you, no matter what you say. T-tomorrow is the Winter Christmas Festival! I'd be too sad without you." Tino sobbed._

_Berwald felt his legs weakening at the words. They both slid to the floor, and against his better judgment, Berwald hugged him back. "Ok." He replied quietly, feeling his throat close up._

_''Here. It's a present. A good luck charm." Tino gently placed a small red velvet hat in Berwald's much larger hand. "It'll keep you safe." That night, Berwald and Tino had fled town, not resting for weeks until they'd reach the most remote town on all the occupied islands. It was virtually never communicated with, and only a few small towns were on it. They thought they'd be safe there. But perhaps Tino should've kept the charm he gave Berwald..._

* * *

_A look of horror consumed Tino's face as he stared at who had knocked on their door. He slammed it shut as fast as he could, and threw his weight against it in a desperate attempt to keep them out._

_"BERWALD!"_

_His cry chilled Berwald to the bone, and he threw the covers from himself, running barefoot down the hallway. But by the time he reached them, it was too late. A needle pierced Tino's skin with icy cold, filling him with numbing potion. Two soldiers had him by the arms. "B-Berwald, help me! Please! Please! Help me..." Tino huffed, tears running down his face. _

_"NO!"_

_Tao blocked his path. He was wearing his terrifying knives gloves. Then, the two soldiers and Tino vanished into smoke. Berwald felt his horror and despair take over, sinking to the floor. Damn it, he shouldn't stayed away from Tino! He should've left him! He shouldn't have dragged him into this! Berwald's anger made his hands shake against the ground. _

_"You shouldn't have tried to get out of your contract Berwald. Once you were told you were going to be a Nord, you should've accepted your fate. We could've just sworn you in, and this never would've happened, I suppose. Now here's your choice: ...do we kill him? Or will you obey us?"_

* * *

_Instead of risking Tino's life further, Berwald went back into Tao's service. He'd had no way of learning Tino's location and rescuing him. It was hopeless. All he could do to protect Tino was obey. So when he was sent to kidnap Ambassador Laurinaitis and carry out many other government-weakening plans in Regnoc, Berwald had agreed to do so._

_But then Captain Alfred and his men encountered them. They'd been defeated. King Arthur offered them the chance to go to Reenson and search for a healer, and that gave Berwald the chance he needed to find his wife. Alfred had even agreed to personally help him search for Tino, and their friends' other taken loved ones. It was more than Berwald had hoped for. He had friends now, and they were going to rescue his wife, no matter what it took._

_The only time he'd been this grateful was when Tino had accepted him, and had been the first person Berwald had ever been allowed to care so deeply for. Time was running short before Berwald had to be back for Tao's deadline. But all he had to do was rescue Tino before Tao realized something was amiss. He would save his wife and protect his new friends no matter what. They'd all come to care for him despite his appearance, and they were all working for a common cause. Berwald wasn't going to let that go to waste._

Berwald broke out of his deep thought when Felina pulled on his sleeve. She was the one who reminded him of his wife. "Helloooo, like where were you? We're here." Berwald stared in dull surprise at the strange-looking inn before them.

* * *

"Not too bad." Elizaveta commented as she entered the room. She was all sweaty from chopping firewood for their fireplace this evening. The port cut off from the devastated city outside was almost deserted, so no firewood could be found unless one chopped it themselves. Then she noticed something irritating. Several small white flowers were flung limply into a vase. Her eyes narrowed. Her mother had loved flowers and had always arranged them perfectly, she got irritated when flowers were flung aside hastily. That love of flowers and peeve over disregard for them had passed on to Elizaveta, fortunately or unfortunately.

Sighing she began to rearrange them perfectly. A quick knock on the door made her turn to see Feliks, all clad in a frilly red traveling coat. He looked irritated. "I need advice." He muttered. She raised an eyebrow. Since they were pretty much the only ones who knew their true genders(ignoring Toris, who was usually kept out of the loop by the two of them." they had been confiding in each other whenever something bothered them. Like the worry about the dangers (like, oh, the freaking snipers patrolling the city!) and for the rest of their friends. But this had been the first time Feliks had come to her for advice. She simply made sure people stayed away from him when he was changing clothes and anything else that could jeopardize his secret and he did the same for her.

"What kind?"

"How do you make a man happy?" The question sent Elizaveta's mind whirling with thoughts. Why on earth would _Feliks_ need to know that?

"W-why?"

"Toris has been moping around like, a sad puppy since that bitch Natalya must've totally said something to him. You're a girl, so that makes you like, good with touchy-feely stuff. But you act like a total guy, so you know how to make it, like, not so mushy."

"You want to cheer him up?" Elizaveta asked in surprise.

"Or get him to give up on her. She's a psycho nut falling for a psycho nut, anybody can see that. So how do I get him to knock it off? I hate seeing him sad. I'm tired of him dragging around all the time." That was the first time Elizaveta had ever heard someone sound concerned for another person and yet selfish at the same time.

"You shouldn't assume I have the answers for that sort of thing, I'm not very good with matters of...love." Elizaveta looked away, just that word made her cringe. For a number of reasons. One, she wouldn't say. Two, love wasn't important where she came from. Three, the only other man she had ever even contemplated that word with had turned out to be a complete snob.

"Felin- oh, it's you Eli. Feliks, what are you doing?" Toris had appeared in the doorway.

"Speak of the devil." Feliks muttered in irritation and stood up, dusting his skirt off. Toris stared at what Eli was holding. Had she been...flower arranging? But she was completely sweaty, and unclean. Her boots had tracked in mud, and she'd brought in armload after armload of wood for them to stay warm tonight. _Sometimes...I really forget Eli is a girl..._ Toris thought with a shake of his head.

"O-oh..." Toris murmured as he recognized the flower in Eli's hand.

"What's wrong?"

Toris tilted his head. "That's Baby's Breath. It means 'everlasting love'. Sweet, isn't it?"

"Ugh! No!" Eli suddenly seemed frustrated and put the flower into the vase quickly. _Love, love, love...that word! _She quickly made her way across the room, yanked the door open because she was eager to leave the subject behind, and then ever so gracefully tripped on an uneven floorboard. Elizaveta was falling, then falling into someone, then knocking that someone down, and then landing on top off that person sprawled in the hallway.

Oh NO! She was crimson red, as was the person in the very awkward position below her. Both of their hearts raced uncontrollably. But at the same time, the moment had a nice feel to it, one that made Elizaveta want to laugh playfully...and meet those lips with...her own. _N-no...I can't be...he can't be..._

Gilbert was underneath Eli, and had been shocked when Eli fell on top of him. He felt butterflies in his stomach, a feeling someone as Awesome as him did _not_ get! But instead of moving he was staring up into beautiful green eyes. Gilbert felt his face moving slowly closer to Eli's...

"O-oh, I'm sorry Gil! I didn't mean to!" Before what was going to happen could happen, Elizaveta forced herself off of Gilbert. She didn't offer him a hand up, as she was afraid she was going to blush even more if she did.

"N-no big deal..." Gilbert muttered and quickly ran off, remarkably, without his usual swagger. In the silence of the hall, Elizaveta buried her face in her hands.

_Reason number one I can't think about that...**that word. **That one word. Because every time I do, I'm thinking a little more about... I promised I would stay by his side, and I hate seeing him hurt. He's funny and kind even if he can be an idiot. He's handsome (even if he knows it)...oh DAMN IT! What is wrong with me!? I never thought this would happen to me, not with the way I was taught. But now...**That word. **I-I wanted to kiss Gilbert. Am I...? _Elizaveta's thoughts were in a frenzy, as her face still blushed, and the thought of a silver-haired man with an arrogant laugh and burning red eyes touched her. She felt so happy just at the thought of him.

_I wanted to kiss him..._

* * *

Gilbert pounded his head against the wall. _WHAT. THE. HELL. WHAT. THE. HELL. _He couldn't get the image of those green eyes out of his head. Why had he been thinking about his best friend before he fell asleep at night? That sweet scent that Eli carried, and his soft laugh...Gilbert blushed again. Now instead of a pale albino he looked like a lobster. He slammed his head one last time.

_"WHAT THE HELL!?" _Gilbert cried. _Damn it...I wanted to kiss him! _Gilbird peeped up from his comfy place on the bed. Feeling exhausted, Gilbert plunked down on the bed beside his little buddy. He picked the yellow fluff-ball up.

"I wanted to kiss him. But that's just really, really, awesome friends stuff. Yeah, yeah that's gotta be it. You think so too, right Gilbird?" Gilbert sighed a small sigh of relief. Yeah, that had to be it. Because Eli was. A Eli a really, really, awesome friend that is.

All the while, he didn't even seem to notice the knot that had formed on his noggin.

* * *

Feliks awoke silently in the dark that night. One good thing about being a ''girl'' was that you got your own room if possible. That was a good thing for Feliks because he was a really light sleeper. However, something was amiss. Feliks walked to the window illuminated with the light of the moon, and frowned.

"What is a little boy doing here? At this hour?" Sure enough, a small boy, about 9 years old with chin-length blonde hair under a cap and green eyes was trying to keep silent. But some soldiers who had been waiting hidden in an alley, suddenly stopped him for his travel papers. Feliks felt a cross between worried and annoyed as he leaned out the window, trying to get a better look.

"Idiot child! I bet you're one of those rebel scum-suckers! Think you'll get off with a warning because you're a child!? Think again!?" Feliks gaped as the soldier raised a nightstick and the little boy flinched. He shimmied out the window and slid down the rain pipe as fast as he could, without the soldiers noticing until Feliks had grabbed their leader's arm.

"Like, not cool. Only lame-asses pick on a little kid." Feliks hissed, thinking of how he could prevent this from escalating. The little boy clutched his skirt.

"T-thank you, Lady." He murmured. Well, certainly a polite little fellow! But Feliks was thinking more on the men who were surrounding the both of them.

"Stupid girl, guess that means you'll take double the kid's beatings along with him!" Feliks went into a defensive position as he backed away, clutching the boy. But suddenly, ice flew up and around the soldiers legs making it impossible to move.  
''What's this!?" Feliks felt his breath catch in shock. "Arthur?" He asked, calling for the king. Feliks didn't want to give him away by calling him ''Your Majesty'' even though it felt weird to be calling him by his first name.

"Actually, no. Are you all right, Miss?" A deep voice came out from the shadows nearby. Another, shorter figure with a strange bird on their shoulder accompanied him.

"Who are you?" Feliks demanded, not the slightest bit nervous.

"My apologies. My name is Lukas. This is my little brother Emil." The strange man introduced them both.

* * *

Somewhere far away, in a prison carriage, a young man stirred. He was sprawled on his front across the floor, his hands chained to the wood beneath him. The pain in his back was so intense tears stung at his eyes, much to the chagrin of his pride. He would've preferred screaming rather than crying. His coal-dark eyes were useless in the darkness of the night, although he could still hear soldiers-men he once called comrades-drinking outside.

"Kiku." A breeze touched his face as the back of he carriage door was silently opened. He recognized the voice, and relaxed just a little. He knew the one visiting him was doing so secretly.

"I'll get you out of this." The voice muttered, and suddenly, Kiku screamed as a hand touched his back. But the voice's hand muffled his scream so no one could hear. The hand was spreading something cool over the burns.

_What could that be? _Kiku wondered as he passed out again.


	16. Chapter 16

**Multi POV**

Feliks remained on his guard as the two stranger approached. He kept an arm around the boy next to him, and now had a better look at the two men. The older of the two, the one with ice magic, had short blonde hair. He wore a cross barrette and had a flyaway curl not unlike Feliciano's. This was 'Lukas' and his rich dark blue eyes gave Feliks the impression he'd seen many things beyond most people's gaze. It was otherworldly. The younger one, apparently Lukas' brother, had silvery hair like Gilbert's. His eyes were dark violet blue and a strange bird, a puffin Feliks realized, perched on his shoulder.

"Lukas and Emil, huh? Just like, what are you doing here in Reenson when it's under occupation!?" Feliks demanded. Lukas casually strolled over to the soldiers entrapped in ice. They were glaring at him, making threats of how he was to pay for this insolence. He rolled his eyes and placed a finger against the leader's head. The man's eyes rolled back and his head slumped, now unconscious. The soldiers went silent in terror.

''Apparently saving your life, Miss. Now pipe down and quit being a shrimpy brat." Lukas replied coolly. Feliks fumed.

"Shrimpy brat!?"

Emil shook his head. "Don't let it bother you, Lukas is always like that."

"I told you to call me 'Big Brother'."

"And I don't have to be doing what you say!" Feliks could've sworn he saw sparks fly from Emil's eyes. The brothers were having a standoff, both staring stubbornly at each other.

_They're ignoring me! _ the crossdresser realized irritably.

"Um, Miss?" The little boy beside him pulled on Feliks' skirt again. He looked down in surprise. He'd almost forgotten about the child.

"What?"

"Thank you for helping me. I really appreciate it." The older boy shook his head in disbelief. This kid was really polite! But wait why was...

"Why are you here, kid? Where are your parents? You know it's dangerous to be around here right now?" Suddenly, the little boy became very shy and uncertain, looking down at his shoes, one of his boots tracing small circles in the soil.

Feliks sighed. This kid didn't seem too inclined to talk. "Fine. Can you like, tell me your name at least?" The boy nodded nervously, after a moment of silence.

"Noah..." He murmured quietly. Then he looked up at Feliks again, as though expecting something. But whatever it was, Feliks didn't know. Nonetheless, the boy's slight hesitation made Feliks suspicious.

"Whatever you say. My friends will want to talk to you two." He pointed a finger at the mysterious wizard and his brother.

"You're right about that. What the bloody hell has been happening out here?" Arthur's commanding voice made Feliks nearly jump out of his skin. Alfred was following him, looking half-asleep, glasses askew on his face and his blonde hair mussed. Arthur, as usual, looked quite impeccable. His clothes didn't have so much as a wrinkle and his eyes were unmarred by circles.

He stopped however when he caught sight of Lukas. One of his huge eyebrows raised in shock.

"Oh...well, I wasn't quite accounting on this. Hello, Lukas. It's good to see you." Alfred blinked tiredly, at this point almost not caring what was happening because of his sleep-deprivation.

"...Artie, you know this guy?" He yawned.

"Yes, quite well." Arthur took a step forward and shook hands with Lukas. Meanwhile, Feliks was staring dumbstruck at the two of them.

"You, like, know him!?" He sputtered in surprise. Alfred frowned.

"Dudette, say it, don't spray it..." He muttered as he watched Lukas like a hawk.

"It's not very ladylike Felina..." Arthur agreed nonchalantly as he greeted Emil as well.

The cross-dresser's face went lobster-red. Feliks had just about had it. He was sick of having to act like a_ lady_, and not getting answers, and Toris acting moping, and most of all that irritating wizard who was just watching the exchange like it was funny!  
"_ARGH!_ Who is this guy!?" Feliks stamped his foot and pointed at Lukas with fury.

"Maybe we should discuss this inside..." Emil suggested casually, and pointed to the inn. Alfred nodded and sleepily stumbled along, while Arthur cast a glance at the boy who was still clinging to Feliks.

"I'm sure there's a story to him as well. Bring him along Felina..." Arthur nodded. They entered the inn, leaving Feliks with the boy and a bunch of half-frozen freaked out Wang soldiers.

"...Why the hell does this keep happening to me?" He groaned.

* * *

Gilbert woke with Gilbird on his head. The bird chirped happily.

"Wha-? Is it the Awesome Me's turn for watch duty?" He groaned sitting up.

"Nope! His royal fancy-pants Majesty has picked up some weirdo wizard out here!" Matthias had violently shaken Gilbert awake. Gilbert stretched for a moment, registering that Matthias was rubbing his black robin tattoo on his wrist. He looked noticeably discomforted.

"Another wizard?" Gilbert asked as he stood up and pulled on his shirt.

"Yeah, and some little kid is here too...Eli's with the him. Apparently he started crying a few moments ago about something or other." Matthias felt his heart sink a bit. He'd been told by Natalya that the boy had been traveling by himself. Then the Wang soldiers started bothering him for papers and then a beating. Which would've been carried out had that wizard not stepped in. Matthias knew all too well what is was like to be alone on the streets, not knowing what to do. He hadn't had anybody helping him when he was a kid...maybe if he wasn't alone back then...

He sighed and rubbed his tattoo some more.

"What's up?" The point blank question caught Matthias off guard. He stared at the expectant Gilbert who was watching him with a curious expression. After a minute he faked a laugh and rubbed the back of his head.

"Just wondering how much longer until I can get this damn tattoo off!" Since it was a constant reminder that nobody trusted him.

Gilbert gave him a slight smirk. "Once we all get out of this in one piece, _maybe_ we'll let Arthur take it off you." He strutted off down the stairs, leaving Matthias to register that he had referred to everyone, including _him_, as 'we'. His own small smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth and he marched down the stairs himself to meet with Berwald. The giant of a man gave him a small nod, which Matthias returned. In mutual respect and perhaps...understanding.

* * *

Gilbert paused in front of one of the door's of the inn. He could hear two voices in there.

"Sorry! Sorry! I am just no good with crying kids, you know!?" Felina.

"It's all right...he's just a little shaken up? Aren't you?" Eli. Gilbert heard a muffled 'yes' in a tiny voice. He decided then was a good time to see what was up with this kid. He pulled the door open suddenly, lacking the finesse any other person might employ right then. But of course, Gilbert wasn't one for finesse, and he was still not entirely sure _what_ his thoughts about Eli earlier that day had meant... _Just friend stuff!_ The albino reminded himself ardently as he barged through the door.

And promptly scared the living daylights out of the small boy clinging to Eli. He stiffened up and clung to Eli even harder while he stared up at the large imposing figure with red eyes. His teary eyes widened with fear, and he buried his face against Eli's shoulder, trembling slightly.

"O-oh...it's okay, you're okay Noah! That's just Gilbert, he can be really loud and an idiot sometimes, but you don't need to be scared of him!" Eli gently patted the little blondie on the back.

"Hey!" Gilbert protested as he sat down on the bed beside the three other people in the room. He tried to glare at Eli, but Felina pinched him. So, he glowered at her instead.

"What was that for!?"

"The kid nearly got beaten up by a bunch of soldiers, and he's still freaked out by that! He doesn't need you acting like a bull in a china shop and glaring at him right now! Moron!" Felina snapped, her voice cracking from anger. Gilbert frowned and looked back at Eli, admitting to himself that Felina was right.

"Hey...you're safe now, we're not going to let anyone hurt you. There now, don't cry. You're all right, you're safe..." Eli was soothing the child in a strangely motherly fashion, his eyes soft and kind.

Gilbert watched as Eli comforted the little boy. _Eli's so...sweet. _Gilbert thought to himself, warmth spreading through his chest. He looked at the kid who was beginning to calm down and grinned. The child blinked at him, tears suddenly gone.

Suddenly, the boy laughed. Gilbird had popped out of Gilbert's hair. _Surprise! _The puffball of yellow feathers seemed to say as he cocked his head at the boy. Gil's grin widened and he gently pulled Gilbird from his hair.

"Cup your hands." He muttered as he placed Gilbird softly in the kid's hands. The boy watched him in fascination. "Awesome, isn't he? Your name's Noah, right? Well, it's like my buddy said, we're going to protect you, don't worry. There's no way the Awesome Me will let anything bad happen to you."

Elizaveta smiled as Gilbert shook hands with Noah. "I didn't know you were so good with children Gilbert." She commented as Noah stood up.

"_Ja, ja..._When Lutz was nine he didn't cry much, but he still needed his big brother around to chase the bullies away sometimes! This kid's pretty tough to be traveling around here by himself though!" Gilbert laughed as Noah quietly thanked him.

"No big deal!" Elizaveta watched Gilbert with affection while he ruffled Noah's hair.

"So what, like, were you doing here Noah?" Feliks suddenly asked. The blonde child's face fell.

"My big _bruder_...he's in trouble. He came back home when he found out Reenson was under attack, but he made me stay in Regnoc. When he never came back, I decided to come after him."

Gilbert winced. _**Gott**...a little kid came to save his own brother...**verdammt**, why does this kid have to get caught up in this mess too!? Bad enough everyone else is, but a little boy too!? _He didn't even want to think of what might've become of all the other children in his country.

An rapid knock came at the door again.

"Enough wasting time! Ivan and Arthur are meeting with the wizard! Get out here _now_!" Natalya barked. They heard her Mary-Janes clicking against the floor as she walked down the hall.

Noah stood up. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean for any of you to get in trouble! Go ahead, I'll be fine!"

"We'll work something out for you, just wait until we're all done here!" Elizaveta promised as she stood up. Feliks and Gilbert rushed out the door, but just as Elizaveta was almost out the door she heard Noah give a small gasp.

"Noah...?" Elizaveta turned around and a look of worry flashed across her face. Noah was bent over, clutching his side. The nine-year-old's cap had fallen off his chin-length gold hair.

Elizaveta placed her arms under Noah's arms for support as Noah started to kneel. But Elizaveta's eyes widened in shock as her arms brushed against Noah's shirt. Eyes glazed with pain, he gazed up at her.

"...I see." Elizaveta quietly murmured. Although she still didn't understand why Noah had a sudden bout of pain, she had realized a different crucial fact about the child.

''I'm alright...it'll pass." The child murmured.

"Noah...no, I shouldn't call you that." 'He' suddenly froze, terror written on his face. _Did he figure me out?_ _What will he do if he has?_ The child wondered, desperately hoping that Eli hadn't.

"You may've not realized it, but you may need to start binding your chest soon. But don't worry, it's not obvious." Elizaveta nodded at 'Noah' while 'his' mouth dropped from surprise.

"You couldn't go after your brother if everyone knew who you were, right? They would never have let you on a ship back home. But I understand, and your secret is safe with me." Elizaveta winked at the child.

"After all, we _girls_ need to stick together, right?" 'Noah' was completely amazed, shocked, and relieved. A smile of happiness blazed across the little blonde's face as she smiled at 'Eli'.

"You're a girl too? I thought you looked like a little bit like a girl, but I had no idea!" The little lady gasped. Elizaveta smiled brightly back at her.

"My real name is Elizaveta. What's yours?" Elizaveta curtsied like a proper noblewoman, and the little girl mimicked her in delight.

"Lilli! Lilli Zwingli! I didn't know there was anybody else like me! I thought no other girl would try to dress up like a boy. Everybody back home always thought that I _was_ a boy whenever I didn't wear my ribbon, so this was easy!"

Elizaveta nodded in understanding. "By the way, you and I aren't the only ones like us." She smiled, thinking of Feliks stomping around in his high heels, and the way he'd squawk when he found out they had encountered yet _another_ cross-dresser.

* * *

Around the kitchen table, 14 people were seated.

"So, what brings you here Lukas? Is the Guild keeping you busy?" Arthur straightened the sleeves of his robe, while Lukas sat down across from him.

_"Guild?" _Alfred, now having downed one of the coffee rations he'd brought, was wide awake and questioning everything going on.

"The Wizard's Guild." Lukas replied, Emil reappearing behind them with a dish of fish stew. Alfred stiffened. He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but no words came out. He blinked a few times, cleared his throat and tried again.

"A...Wizard's Guild? Like some kind of secret organization? Okay, that's WAY cool, but just _how _long have you not even bothered to mention this to me?" Alfred nudged Arthur in stunned disbelief. He'd known Arthur for 11 of his 19 years, and this was the first time anything like this had come up. Anger that Artie might be keeping secrets from him boiled up inside Al.

"I'm only an honorary member, because I have a kingdom to run and usually can't be involved in the Guild's affairs. Lukas however, is very much in the fray of all that goes on in Guild business. Which, is why I'm wondering what you're doing here Lukas. The Guild isn't allowed in ordinary political affairs. That includes war, as you know."

"You're right, but the Guild is allowed in all affairs of magic. That's why we exist, to ensure magical chaos doesn't reign." Lukas tasted the salted stew and shifted in his chair.

"~Ve, what kind of magic are you dealing with in Reenson?" At Feliciano's question, a sudden grim look swept across the two brother's face.

"The Guild has decided to become involved in the war, because the Wang Empire is now employing one of the most evil kinds of magic ever to disgrace this world." Arthur suddenly paled at Lukas' words. Everyone was silent, some frightened, others angry, others not even processing what had been said.  
"W-what kind of magic, dudes? It can't be that bad? Right? Hahaha..." Alfred laughed nervously.

Emil stared at his hands. "Demonic possession." His voice was very soft. Feliciano's legs shook beneath his chair. Gilbert wanted to throw up. This had to be some kind of sick, twisted, messed up joke! _Demons_ in his country. He thought that those temple demons were the only ones...

"So...those demons in the temple...it wasn't an isolated incident." Arthur barely whispered. Lukas frowned and stood up.

"I understand that you had your own plans, but it's been requested that all members of the Guild return to the City of the Hidden Star to discuss this matter. That includes honorary members. We're giving information to all able-bodied wizards on everything we know on these demons. We'll be able to better discuss it there."

"So, shall we? Go to the Hidden Star, that is?" Lukas stood up, walking around the edge of the table. For a split second, the group considered their options, before they were in mutual agreement.

"Right then, we shall." Arthur stood up, and directed everyone to hold hands. Gilbert purposely avoided taking hands with Eli, allowing Eli to center himself between Noah and Felina. Natalya was caught between Ivan and Toris, with Felina on the other side of Toris. Gilbert clapsed Alfred's hand, holding Noah with the other, and Feliciano clutched Gilbert's remaining hand. Lastly, Arthur took Alfred and Emil by the hands, completing the circle. Lukas stood in the center.

The young wizard closed his eyes and began chanting in a deep, ancient language. As he did so, magical runes appeared in a circle on the floor, glowing light blue. Feliciano gasped, his eyes widening and he began to tremble. "Feli?" Elizaveta called over the chanting as it steadily grew louder. He looked back at her, straight in the eyes.

**_Constellation Spirit!_**

Elizaveta gasped and closed her eyes. The cry had come from nowhere, ancient and powerful. It wasn't the cry of humans. All this time...even seeing the demons in the temple, she'd never imagined the legend to be really true. But now...if what Lukas said was accurate, then the war they were waging was not against humans.

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the strange visions she had every time she touched Feliciano, and the cry of the demons: _Kyron's Reign!_

As the roar of magic blew at her clothes, and her grip tightened on Lilli and Feliks a sudden shocking thought came to her. The demons were regrouping, becoming more powerful again...could that possibly mean their nemesis was coming back somehow as well? Then the most shocking idea of all came to her, just before they teleported.

Every time she touched Feli, she had a vision...the demons had wanted to eat his heart...was it possible?

Did Feliciano have a connection with the Constellation Spirit!? Could he...could he be _him!?_

A sudden chill of cold, and a flash of white.

Then, darkness.

* * *

"Vash, stop daydreaming." A voice snapped at the sniper. Vash bolted to attention at the cry, even though his mind had been elsewhere.

_Don't worry, Lilli. Everything will be all right, little schwester._ Vash thought determinedly, as they continued on.

* * *

A/N: Dun, dun, dun! All righty then, that wraps up this chapter! The next chapter will be told from Feliciano's POV. Thank you!


	17. Chapter 17

**Feliciano's POV**

"Wooooaahhh..." The magic was making us spin so much! Everything was making me so dizzy and everything was so _white_! It was like we were a blizzard. Of course a blizzard might be kind of fun if we could make snowmen and drink hot chocolate and sing funny winter songs later...The spinning jerked to a stop, my hands were yanked from everybody else's and I fell forward on my face.  
"Owie..." I groaned. Gil grabbed a nearby street lamp and nearly doubled over.

"I think I'm gonna puke...so not Awesome!" Gilbird was conked out on Gil's head, looking really, really dazed. Matthias sunk to his knees.

"Hey! Norge, what were you thinking!? I thought you said you were taking us to your secret magic-whatever headquarters! Not play carousel!" He complained as he waited for the world to stop twirling.

"I did." Lukas' deep voice replied. I jerked up to look around._ Boy_, Lukas was kind of scary but he wasn't showing off for nothing! I hadn't ever seen a city like it! For one thing, there wasn't a cloud in the sky(which was deep violet) and all the stars of the cosmos were out. Every two seconds we'd see another shooting star above the city made of-some kind of black blocks? They were shiny, like glass, but they had a bunch of pretty designs in them! We were sitting in what must've been the Main Street, and I guess from the smell coming from the east, there was a yummy bakery nearby, but the smell from the west was really bad! I guess I knew where King Arthur got his eye of newt from. And maybe his yucky ingredients for dinner.

A shiver ran up my spine.

I perked up when I saw something else I hadn't noticed until then. "Hey! Look, everybody there are three moons smiling down at us!" I jumped and pointed. Captain Alfred sputtered.

"Artie, dude! What kind of freaky world did you transport us too? Did you curse us or somethin'?"

"Enough with the freaking out. The city of the Hidden Star is just a pocket dimension made from magic. A world within ours. Artificial. The Wizards discovered it and made it their headquarters." Emil cut in irritably.

"Oh, is that _all!?_" Al still didn't sound happy. But I was still looking at the sky, I'd never seen anything like it. But another star fell and I frowned. That seemed...really familiar. Maybe I had seen it before? It made me think of the weird dreams I'd been having lately. I didn't think they were a big deal because I had weird dreams normally, but these new ones were really strange. Also, they were _scary! _I kept seeing monsters and flames, and hearing people I couldn't see talking to me. I also remember someone crying in the dreams, calling for someone named David? No, Daniel, that was it...I cocked my head. They were really weird, and they just didn't make any sense!

"Come on! The Guild Leaders will want to see us immediately to speak about the demons! We're safe from the Wang here, but the leaders will still want to talk to you!" Emil called to me. I stood up and chased after them. We were going through the market street! I smiled excitedly! The first thing I noticed was that everybody there was a wizard! Just like His Majesty! They were reading books of spells, lighting fires or summoning water with just a spoken word, wearing dark black robes even though they seemed pretty happy. The vendors were selling all sorts of things, magic charms, potions, spell books, I even saw one guy smuggling in a cage of...some small tinkling little butterflies? I don't know, but they were _bella! _

When we passed through the food stands, Gilbert bought me a croissant, all warm and buttery. "_Grazie!"_I bit into the croissant happily, making smacking noises while he laughed. For once, Eli wasn't laughing with him. He was looking at me with a funny look on his face. Maybe he wanted one too!

"Are you hungry, Eli? I can buy some ingredients while we're here and make some pasta!" I lit up at the thought.

"No thanks_,_ Feli..." He continued frowning and quickly occupied himself looking at some very expensive clothes. Gilbert watched him as he carefully examined the embroidery on one. Gil sighed suddenly and looked sad.

"What's wrong?" Eli asked, suddenly very concerned. He was watching his best friend with an even odder look than the one he gave me! I smiled. I knew how it was to worry about your friends, that's why I came along even though it was scary! Lud is my best friend. When I was little and couldn't tie my laces he would do it for me, and since me and my _fratello_ grew up without much education he taught me how to read! He's serious and buff and you really don't want him for an enemy, but Lud really is a nice guy!

He rescued me all the time, so now it was my turn to save him! But anyway, Gil for some reason wouldn't look Eli in the eye when Eli asked him what was wrong.

"It's just...I'm sorry you're stuck here with just the clothes on your back. That must seem pretty low-class to you. I bet you could afford clothes like this all the time back home, and I couldn't even buy _one_ of these shirts for you..." Gil muttered, his face turning red.

"What are you talking about, Gilbert? Eli's our friend!" I exclaimed.

Eli's eyes softened. "Oh, Gilbert. I'm happier here in these clothes with you, than I ever was in the finest clothes back home." He replied with a light laugh. His eyes got big and he hastily added. "A-and with you, Feli." I smiled at him.

Gilbert suddenly laughed. "Yeah, sure! Whatever you say, pal! What are _friends_ for?" He cuffed Eli on the shoulder, but the word friends seemed a bit forced.

"Are you three going to stand there gawking all day or are you coming with us!?" Alfred yelled loudly back at us, and we quickly caught up again.

But I hung back again just a little. What was Miss Natalya doing? She seemed to be speaking very seriously with a jeweler.

"Miss Natalya? Do you need help?"

"No, priest." She hissed. I yelped nervously. _Ave Maria, she's scary! _But I still wanted to help her out if she needed it!

"W-what are you getting? Are those...rings?" The jeweler nervously handed two golden bands to her as she paid and she nodded at me, even though she looked really annoyed. "What are those for?" I asked, really curious now.

"I am going to propose to my beloved." She replied. What!? I didn't know she...was in love with someone.

"Oh...congratulations! Does he live far away?"

"No, he is with us, you buffoon!" Eep! W-who did she want to marry that was with us? Then it dawned on me. She sure did seem to like him, and he was every bit as scary as she was so it must be a good match!

"Well...you really do care about Ivan..." I rubbed my head nervously.

"That is different." She replied stiffly and marched away. What did she mean? Did she mean it was different with Ivan and that's why she wanted to marry him? Or something else? I sighed. Whatever it was, I hope she didn't ask _me_ to marry the both of them...

* * *

When we finally got to the Grand Hall where the Guild Leaders were, I was so tired I was ready to drop. The building was huge, with a picture of a wand on the front, and I was really intimidated. In the door before the council room, Lukas knocked three times, then we were let in.

There were large seats arranged in a parliament style from every direction, leaning down towards us in the circular arrangement. Several wizards, men, women, young, old, scary-looking, nice-looking all watched us from above. Because most of our group wasn't magical, we were asked to stand aside while the proceedings occurred. The wizards who weren't leaders occupied seats lower to the floor in the large chamber, and while Lukas and Emil took higher seats(even though Emil wasn't a wizard, I asked) Arthur sat just below them.

"Oh...the seating arrangement is by rank, those with a higher ranking sit higher up. That's why Arthur is lower, he's only an honorary member." Eli explained to Alfred, who was watching each of the wizards with extreme scrutiny. He watched Arthur as well, making sure there wasn't the slightest hint of threat to his safety. Al probably still didn't trust this Guild, he'd only just heard about it, after all!

"Call to business!" One of the people sitting at the very top called, and suddenly all the wizards fell silent, watching the strange leaders of the Guild. I shivered. The wizard who had called the order looked even stranger than any other wizard I had ever seen. His eyes were red and he had fangs! The wizard gave a small smirk and caught sight of His Majesty.

"Oh, it seems His Majesty, King Arthur of Regnoc has managed to arrive! Wonderful to see you again old friend!" Arthur smiled at the peculiar man with fangs and stood as he cleared his throat quickly. His full authority was casting waves over the crowd and he seemed quite at ease this way.

"A pleasure Vladimir. I'm just sorry for the circumstances in which I learned of our meeting. But I must say I'm curious about these...demonic possessions I'm hearing about. Just not long ago I encountered a rather unpleasant temple filled to the brim with demons. I didn't realize that this was quickly becoming the norm of the situation."

The wizard-Vlad-winced. "Yes, the principles of the Guild of Wizards doesn't allow our members to become engaged in affairs such as war. But as you are the king of your country, you must become involved. Perhaps you'd like to know, your troops have landed on the coasts of Reenson and terrible battles have begun." I gulped, and absolute fear numbed me. The chill was all over me, and it took me several seconds to realize I was shivering. We...were really at war now. And it wasn't going to end for a long time, I somehow knew. Why couldn't we just get along?

"But, the Guild is here tonight to hold a vote to become involved with this war, because this war is no longer non-magical. This gives us the right that we can become involved and give aid in the battle against the Wang, who is employing the darkest of dark magics...the possession of human hosts by fire demons." For a moment there was an uproar as several wizard stood up and begun yelling all at once. Some in protest against war, some in outrage that the Wang had dared to cross that line, some in worry for what the course of action was going to be.

"Silence!" Vlad yelled, and everyone shut up. He must've been _very_ high-ranking despite his prankster-appearance because everyone cringed as he spoke. "As we all know, fire demons were believed to have gone extinct when the legend of the Constellation Spirit was said to have smothered them." My hearing went all fuzzy as he mentioned the Constellation Spirit, and I saw a slight sparkling in front of my eyes. I didn't realize I was holding on to Eli's shirt for support until he asked me if I was all right. He looked really scared, probably from everything that had been announced, the war and the demons, and for me.

"I'm fine." I whispered to him as I straightened back up. Vlad was still talking, Arthur was still standing, and everybody was listening.

" Recent reports tell us the black magician in service to Emperor Yao Wang, Yong Soo Im, has been channeling the newly empowered fire demons into the soldiers of their Empire. This is illegal in every nation by the agreed laws under the Wizard Guild's jurisdiction. This means that we have the right to enter this war, put a stop to the demons possessing the soldiers, and aid the countries against the Wang Empire." Vlad continued on as Arthur and everybody else in the room listened intently.

"We'll now hold a vote to enter the fray of this war. Should we vote to engage in the conflict, we'll begin operations immediately. Should we agree not to enter, we will remain neutral. But I caution each and every one of you. If we don't enter this war, the conflict will undoubtedly escalate to pure _hell_. We may all become hosts of demons if we don't act. All good men must do to allow evil to prevail, is stand by and do nothing." Vlad's eyes burned with fire.

There were long discussions on the pros and cons of entering this battle, with Lukas and Arthur constantly arguing and debating for action into the war. It went on for a long time, all wizards giving their input and ideas on the subject. Eventually, Emil stood and began tallying the votes of the Guild members. It went on for a few hours, during that time we were allowed a short break. I went to get some coffee and biscotti, but heard a few voices in one of the rooms for a recession. I stopped myself from going in when I realized it was Arthur and Alfred. I peeked around the corner curiously.

"Bunch of stuffy wizards with their underwear in a twist! If these guys don't help us then they're complete idiots!" Alfred exclaimed as he grabbed a chair for Arthur. The king stood back up for a moment to stretch, then he kneaded his shoulders for a few moments before sitting back down again.

"We just have to stop them from getting any further. I should've realized something was wrong sooner..." He put a head in his hand, looking miserable.

"We would've been blasted if we tried any kind of retaliation beforehand, Artie! You know that..." Al tried to console the king. Arthur just looked even more guilty.

"Alfred I...I'm so sorry. It was one thing to send Matthew here when it was just ordinary soldiers...but _this_...demons...I sent him into the lions' den. I'm such a bloody idiot!" Alfred looked pained.

"It'll...it'll be all right man, I mean I'm the HERO! I never let anybody mess with my brothers!" Alfred grinned, but Arthur didn't look very convinced before straightening up, his face a stern mask.

"...Quite right." Feeling guilty for what I'd seen I scurried away before they noticed me.

* * *

On the way back before the voting was tallied again I almost ran into Toris. He looked a little worn out himself. "Are you alright? This is pretty intense! I don't really understand everything they said..." I asked him as we walked side by side together.

"Believe me, you don't want to...it's even harder when you're an ambassador and you understand everything that's going on." I thought about that for a moment.

"Where's Noah? He's too little to be staying up this late for the vote." I wondered. Toris smiled at me.

"He's staying at Emil's house with Felina right now. She told me this stuff was boring and she 'like totally needs beauty rest'." Toris chuckled. I smiled.

"I miss sharing a home with my family...my _fratello_ and my _nonno_." I sighed. I shook my head. "I just can't picture Miss Natalya and Ivan sharing a home." Toris suddenly froze beside me, his face suddenly draining of any color.

"W-what do you mean by that, Feliciano?" He asked carefully. I was worried that he might be sick but he looked so desperate for an answer I didn't ask him if he was all right first.

"She didn't tell you? Natalya is going to propose to Ivan! She even bought the rings." For a minute his face was completely expressionless, then he quickly went into another room without another word.

...

_"AAAAAAAGGGGHHHH! MISS NATALYA'S GOING TO PROPOSE TO THAT LUNATIC!? What if he does something terrible to her!?" _I jumped about a foot and raised an eyebrow. What was bugging him? If two people loved each other, even if they were both a little crazy, then things should turn out fine.

* * *

Finally, there was a long moment of silence as Emil prepared to announce the decision of the Wizard's Guild vote. When he did, there was no loud cheering or sudden panic. The wizards just seemed grim and a bit afraid now that they were at war. It was a victory Arthur wished he didn't have to win, I think, but he took it in stride. We were all glad for the extra help, but we weren't expecting that the Wizards had the answer to the whereabouts of Lud, Alfred's brother, and Noah's brother. We weren't expecting that tomorrow our group that had become slowly like family like each other was going to be split up. Tomorrow we would be briefed on our missions and sent separate ways. That was the scariest part of all.

I got down on my knees that night, and prayed that all of us would come out of this safe and alive. But I didn't know if that prayer would be answered this time.

* * *

Kiku dreamt. The pain was still intense in his back and the burns would surely scar, but at least whatever had been placed on the burns aloud him enough comfort to sleep. Not twitch with pain with every slightly deep breath, not fall unconscious, sleep. Which was both a blessing and a curse.

Because when he dreamt, he dreamt of his brother.

_"Nii-san! Nii-san! Is Father going to be all right?" 6-year old Kiku ran to his older brother Yao and waited anxiously for his answer. The teenager sighed and placed his book down. He knew that all his little siblings were afraid for the health of the current emperor, but he hated seeing them so worried. Maybe they weren't related by blood, but Yao loved them more than anything in the world._

_"Aiyah, Kiku! You're much too young to be so serious." Yao got down on his knees and looked at the little dark eyed face's solemn expression. He smiled at the little boy, trying to appear comforting and wise._

_"I'm sure that everything will be all right." Yao tried to smooth over the answer with vague reassurance, but even then, Kiku knew that his older-brother figure was actually quite afraid. Afraid that the emperor, his father by blood, unlike Kiku, was going to die. Also, the fear of the most inevitable event. The day when Yao would die himself. Kiku didn't fear death, he knew it was something no one could change, but Yao was afraid of it, especially since he always wanted to watch over his father's peaceful empire._

_"I'm sure everything will be all right...just let the flames consume you." Kiku looked up in shock, no longer 6 but instead a young man. A look of horror and shock consumed the raven-haired adult as he backed away._

_His older brother, his kind and cheerful older brother, had terrible fangs and burning red eyes. Flames consumed Emperor Yao Wang and raged towards the defenseless Kiku._

_"YAO! **NII-SAN!"**_

Sweat beaded on Kiku's face as his eyelids fluttered in his sleep.

* * *

A/N: That wraps up this one! Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter, I love getting feedback. We'll find out just what 'missions' that are splitting up the group in the next chapter! See you then guys! :D :D :D


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